To the boy who broke my heart,

I want to start off by saying thank you. This letter isn't to ridicule you for the hell you put me through or to expose what you did to the world, the intent of this letter is to say thank you. When a person experiences that once in a lifetime kind of love, their world gets flipped upside down. You lose sight of who you are as a person and create a new identity in your newfound love. That can either lead to finding your soulmate or lead you down a path of intense, emotional heartbreak. In our case, we learned the hard way that even though you may love someone, they aren't always the right person for you. Through our heartbreak I learned so many things about myself and about you. Now that time has past and the wounds have healed, I have nothing left to do but thank you.

I first want to thank you for being my best friend. You helped me through so many difficult life changes and struggles, and that's something I am forever thankful for. Thank you for holding me when I needed it, giving me advice even when you knew I wouldn't listen and letting me rant about my problems for hours (though now I see how little those problems were). I look back on things now and what I regret more than anything is not being able to maintain a friendship with you after it all. You really were my best friend, and I'll never forget that.

Next, I want to thank you for our relationship. You taught me what it truly means to love someone more than I love myself. At times, you showed true selflessness and put my needs before your own. You let me experience what it was like to have butterflies and that tingling feeling when you kissed me. You taught me that I like being the little spoon and forehead kisses are the way to my heart. You bought me countless dinners and took me on dates that I will always remember. You gave me a real life love story, the kind a person never forgets.

Lastly, I want to thank you for breaking my heart. When we were together, I thought I had my whole life figured out. At 19, I was ready to settle down with one guy for the rest of my life. I had created my identity in you, rather than creating one for myself. I settled on mediocre life goals to accommodate yours. I never saw my true potential in this world until you took it all away from me. It took you stripping the life away from me in order for me to rebuild my life, all by myself. Because of you I learned what it was like to hit rock bottom. Because of you I learned what it meant to be an independent woman. Because of you I learned to lean on God, family, and friends before anything else. Because of you I learned I never want to have a relationship like ours ever again; it wasn't healthy for either of us. There was too much there. Too much emotion. Too many wrong turns. Too much baggage. We were never going to find our true potential in life together, so thank you for leaving me like you did.

I'll never forget what we had and the lessons you taught me. I am forever thankful for meeting you because I know you served a true purpose in my life. I hope one day down the road that the nightmare is just a faint memory and the relationship we had was nothing but a lesson learned for the both of us. I wish you nothing but the best and I hope you found your potential like I found mine.

Sincerely,

Me (without you)