Dear Ex-Passion,

Although we have parted ways and you are no longer the focal point of my life, I want to thank you. I want to thank you for teaching me how to put blood, sweat and tears into one particular area of my life for an extended period of time. I want to thank you for teaching me how to learn something new and not quit no matter how much I originally wanted to, and for teaching me how fun it is to actually be good at something that I worked hard to achieve. I want to thank you for being the thing that I could excel in, for giving me self-confidence and allowing me to win awards for something. You have exposed me to a whole world that I didn’t know existed, a world that only a select group of professionals get to experience. It is a world of nuances and technicalities, truly a world of incredible detail that is virtually impossible to achieve. You have taught me how to foster an obsession, and nurture it to the point that I know every detail about my particular area of study, inside and out. You have taught me how to love something while simultaneously hating it. And you have given me countless friends through all of the competitions, practices, performances and trips that I have partaken in because of you.

Although I will always love you, I realized some time ago that that spark that made me excited to be around you has been dwindling and is beginning to burn out. There was a time when I wanted to pursue you as a career, but I have since realized that you are not my true calling in life, education is. Therefore, as I grow older and creep ever closer to the looming walls of “professional life,” it is inevitable that we begin to part ways. The time has come in my life for me to let you go. It’s natural. I knew this must come at some point. It is time for me to walk away, although I will walk away with my head over my shoulder so as to catch every last glimpse of you that I can. You will forever be a large part of what shaped my childhood and adolescence and I hope that you, or something like you, will someday be able to shape my children’s childhood and adolescence too. This is not goodbye forever because you may well return in future chapters of my life, but for now this chapter of my life is coming to a close.

Adieu for now, my friend.

Sincerely,