I used to hate you. I used to say that you were the reason I would never find anyone, never trust anyone. I said that you had damaged me – broken me. I used to go out with all my friends and curse your name. Did I occasionally creep your social media with disgust and contempt? Yep, you bet I did. Did I try to nonchalantly subtweet about you with overly obvious lyrics that were clearly directed at you? Mhmm. Did that too.

But that’s not what this is about. This isn’t about us and what we could’ve been. This isn’t an article to pinpoint everything you did wrong and how you should’ve fixed it. No, this isn’t that at all (you can take a deep breath now, boys).

Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator

This is a thank you.

Didn’t see that coming? For a long time, I didn’t either.

But here we are, gentlemen. I want to take the time to say thank you. I don’t regret any of my time spent with you, whether it ended amicably or in a way that resembled the beginning of war, I don’t regret it. Here’s why:

Because of you, I learned how to treat someone – and how NOT to treat someone. Because you weren’t the only one to make mistakes, you weren’t the only one learning how to love.

I learned what I wanted in someone, as well as what I didn’t want.

I learned that I’m not always right and I need to own up to when I’m wrong because, newsflash, I tend to make the occasional mistake.

I learned that just because you love someone does not mean that you are meant to be with them. This was a hard one to learn and it took time, but I finally reached that understanding.

And lastly,

Because of you, I met him.

I met the one that made all of the crazy ‘heartbreaks’ that I went through completely worth it. I met the one who it all makes sense with. I found the Jim to my Pam - can’t think of a better way to phrase it.

Every fight, every late night spent arguing, every missed night of sleep, all of it – it all led to him.

The good times, the bad times, and the moments in between… they were all apart of the bigger picture. And because of that, I want to thank you. None of what we had or what we were is thought of in a negative light because no matter what happened with us, no matter how it ended, it all led to something more. The same way that it’s going to lead to so much more for you.

I hope that at some point you find the person who, for a lack of a better term, turns your world upside-down. I want nothing but the best for you (yes, even to the boy who dumped me on Valentine’s Day/my birthday, I even want the best for you).

So all in all, here’s a thank you to the ones who weren’t the one. Because of you, I have him and because I have him, I know that it was all worth it – even the overly dramatic Taylor Swift lyrics that were tweeted about you… All worth it in the end.