If [he] was a drink he'd be a single-barreled bourbon on ice, smooth with a kick, a chill with a burn all at the same time. That boy right there is the perfect storm. - Brad Paisley

Whenever I find myself reminiscing about you and me, I can't help but feel as though we were the perfect storm. Just as storms wash to shore without warning, you came into my life in the same way. I have to believe that fate played a part in how we met because it was far too coincidental. Just like a storm, you entered my life, became a central figure, and left far too soon. When you left, I was stunned because everything between us had been such a whirlwind of good times. I didn't want to mope around in the days that followed your leaving because even though I felt broken, I knew that I actually wasn't. Obviously, I was hurt and somewhat angry but I realized that behind every tear I cried, there was a reason why this happened. Maybe it was the optimist in me that caused me to think that something positive would come of this heart break. As the hours turned into days and I still felt no animosity toward you, I realized the reason behind our sudden demise.

I knew from the moment we met, I was in trouble. I knew that I would have a hard time resisting your eyes that seemed to stare into mine and read my every thought that passed through my head. Honestly, the intensity of your feelings for me and mine for you allowed me to experience what the love people experience in the movies was all about. I felt the butterflies, the jitters, the safety, and the pure joy of having someone there to talk to.

However, as with any love, there is an expiration date. Love can only last so long and ours reached its end, maybe for forever or maybe just for the time being; I don't know which ours is, but that isn't important right now. But, I do know that even though some days I feel as though the time we had wasn't enough, I know it was long enough to teach me a lot about love. I learned that love is fragile in that there is no guarantee for tomorrow so you better treasure today's memories and little moments. I wish I would have realized that love isn't something that is guaranteed and that it takes actual effort to keep it going strong. But, unfortunately, I didn't realize it soon enough which left me with a broken heart. As the days turned into months, my heart mended and I became wiser in regard to matters of the heart. Regardless of how short-lived our storm was, I'm thankful to have experienced something so real because it opened my eyes and made me a stronger person because I was forced to fix myself. So, thank you for breaking my heart.

You probably are thinking I'm crazy for being thankful for having my heart broken. I promise I'm not crazy, just hear me out. I think our love was so real that it was bound to crash down around us leaving utter destruction. I think that like a storm it was meant to show us to never take a moment for granted. But, most importantly, I think our love was one of those loves that comes on so strong that it was meant to show us a glimpse of what the good in life is so that we know that real love exists and that we are capable of giving and receiving love. If anything, you are the storm that shook me to the core, woke me up, showed me what life is all about, and left me to experience life on my own so that I could become a better and more complete person for the next time love comes crashing into me like a tidal wave.

So, to my perfect storm, thank you for crashing into me. I'm thankful to have loved, lost, and later learned because I know what it is like to have experienced real love. I know that I am not completely whole again but I know that in time I will be. When you crashed into me, our storm caused a wonderful bit of destruction in both of our lives but your leaving ultimately left me to see the extent of my inner strength when I put myself back together. I hope that our storm has awakened you like it did me and has left you feeling thankful for the memories.