To my ex,

Thank-you. No, seriously, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are the one who taught me a lesson that I will forever use in my everyday life. Yes, you were the one who taught me that I should fully understand my self worth if I want to get anywhere in life.

It's been a while since we have talked and I am okay with that. Our breakup was toxic. We went from loving each other to hating each other within a matter of months. There is no reason why we should talk. Every time we do try and talk, we end up arguing just to justify why we hurt each other. Yet all those late night talks that solved nothing, all those tears, and all of that false hope has led me to understand how to properly have a relationship with someone.

The invaluable lesson that you taught me is how to love. I will always appreciate that. When our relationship was up, we were unstoppable. No one could tell us different. We genuinely loved each other. It was incredible. Until college came... that's when our whole world flipped upside down. Well at least mine did.

After a long time of strengthening my self-esteem, I have finally concluded that I do not regret any decisions that I have made. Yes, a part of me wonders what we could have been; however, the other part of me remembers how much hurt was done to me after a chased you around and around with no end.

Now I fully understand that you are not to be blamed. I now know that our relationship's downfall was a paired effort. It was a lack of communication. It was a surplus of doubts. Most importantly we took each other for granted. That was the straw that finally broke the camel's back.

But that's what is so great about this. I will openly say that I took you for granted. There I said it. I TOOK YOU FOR GRANTED. I was young and naive (still am) and thought college was this glorious place where a someone should not have an significant other. Boy was I wrong. The awesome thing is that I now know that if I truly love someone, I should picture them dating another person. If it makes me madder than an Italian without a wine opener, then I will know that I care deeply for that particular person.

Our breakup taught me so much on dealing with women. Like every time you were mad, it was mostly my fault for not properly locating a food source in a fashionably timed manner. I know now that if a woman is mad after she has eaten, then I will revert to flowers and chocolate. If she's still mad, then ill start drawing out the blue prints for the dog house.

Because of you, I now know that I should always verbally tell someone that I appreciate them instead of just showing them. Words matter as much as actions. You taught me so much on handling relationships and Ill always be grateful for that.

Since our breakup, I have grown. I have developed into a person that is confident enough to know I what I want. It's been a long journey, but I now know how much I have to offer and how much I want in return. Relationships are only ever successful when two people are on the same page. Our relationship ended with us being on the same page, but we both were reading different books.

As long as I live. I will never talk bad about you. Although you hurt me, I understand I hurt you too. If I were to speak bad about you, then what kind of person would that make me? You taught me how to love, but the breakup taught me how to forgive.

That is why I am writing this thank you letter. I want to thank you for the ups, and I want to thank you for the downs. At the end of the day, you have allowed me to become a stronger person.

Without you, I don't think I could understand how people truly love each other. Yet I do hope that you are happy with whatever you are doing and whomever you are seeing. I am just happy that I can say that you have prepared me for the women to come.

Thank you for everything you have taught me.

Yours truly,

C.