13 Things I Want To Thank The First Partner Who Walked Out On Me For

Everyone, sooner or later, gets walked out on by someone he or she loves. It happens to us all, and -- to be completely honest -- it's important that it does.

Being walked out on by someone you thought you may very well spend your life with is earth-shattering, yes. But it's also one hell of a teacher.

Being in such a situation teaches you more about yourself, about life and about love than just about anything else ever could. Without such pain and heartbreak, we would never understand what it means to be in love.

So I thought I'd thank the first partner who walked out on me for all the things she's taught me over the years -- even though I haven't seen her since.

1. Thank you for saving me from a miserable future.

Just because walking out on me was a possibility for you, I'm glad you did it. The fact that the thought not only crossed your mind but that you were eager to do so is proof you don't deserve me.

If we stayed together, I'm sure we would have shared a miserable life together. If you didn't walk out on me then, you would have walked out on me later down the line.

Thank you for doing so sooner rather than later.

2. Thank you for showing me how cruel and heartless people can be.

I know you're a loving person, but you have a much darker, colder side as well. I both love and hate that side of you.

Although there is strength in ruthlessness, it's compassion that makes an individual a good life partner.

Nevertheless, having you --- out of all people -- treat me the way you did taught me others can be much, much crueler.

Thanks to you, I know even those closest to you can hurt you. In a way, you made me better prepared for the world.

3. Thank you for making me realize I need better.

I now know I need everything you aren't, everything you aren't capable of ever being. The truth is you're not enough. There was always something missing… even though I could never fully put my finger on it.

Now I know exactly what was missing, and I, likewise, know you weren't capable of filling that void. I guess we both knew it wasn't going to work out.

4. Thank you for showing me how much I can hurt.

I didn't know people could ever feel such a way. It was incredible to see how much emotional pain I was capable of handling.

Most impressively, just when I thought I reached the ceiling, you managed to push me right on through.

5. Thank you for showing me I can endure that pain.

There was a point when I wasn't sure I'd make it out alive. I know it may sound silly to some, but losing you was devastating.

Yet here I am. Standing tall. Living my life and still managing to smile. Thank you for showing me although I may not be invincible, I'm not made of glass either.

6. Thank you for showing me how strong I really am.

If I can move on from you, then I believe I can accomplish anything.

There is no fight I won't fight. No goal too grand or journey too long. Losing you and surviving showed me I'm strong enough to do anything I set my mind to.

7. Thank you for teaching me people do change.

I had my suspicions, but I never saw it up close. You went from being my closest friend, my confidant, my everything, to being a complete stranger.

I'm not even sure when or how it happened, but it did. It made me keep a closer eye on those around me, just in case another person's path in life starts dragging me away from mine.

8. Thank you for proving to me relationships are difficult.

Again, I've heard stories, but they make it look so easy on the big screen. You fall in love and then happily ever after. What a load of sh*t.

I tried my best, and I still wasn't able to make it work. But maybe that's because you didn't bother to try at all.

9. Thank you for letting me know I still have much to learn about them.

Relationships are difficult because they involve people -- and people vary. What we like and don't like varies, as well as how we function in a relationship.

Dating different people taught me each relationship you create is a little different from the last. If you never walked out on me, I'd never have had a chance to learn that.

10. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn love can always be found once again.

I'm addicted. It's horrible, but true. You were my first fix, but not my last. When you left me, it was difficult, but in time, I was able to fall in love again.

I wasn't sure it was possible, but there are billions of people in this world -- it's fair to assume you can fall in love with at least a handful of them.

11. Thank you for breaking my heart; it made me the person I am today.

There is too much to this to get into detail, but losing you made me the person I now am. Without you and without you walking out on me, I wouldn't be the same.

And I love the person I've become. All that pain. All those tears and the subsequent anger -- it all shaped me into me.

12. Thank you for giving me no choice but to move on.

It was the most difficult decision I had to make, but you made it easier. I know you walked out on me, but I didn't just let go like that. It took time…

Thankfully, you treating me the way you did made things a whole lot easier. It wasn't the pushing me away that did it; it was coming to understand the way you saw me.

You don't see me the way someone I love ought to see me. The fact is, you couldn't see me for me. Which means you never loved me for me. So I moved on.

13. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for giving me the opportunity to find the person I'm meant to be with.

If you were never my mistake, then I'd never be able to find the right person. You taught me what I should look for in a partner and what I should avoid in a partner.

I haven't found the right person just yet, but you walking out on me made me awesome.

So truth be told, I'm not worried. I'll find the right person when the time is right.

Until then, I'm just going to keep doing me. Thank you for everything. And goodbye.

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