Dear Past,
As I sit to pen this letter, my mind races back to the myriad moments we shared, a mix of sweet illusions and harsh realities. It’s been a journey of self-discovery, one that I embarked on with you by my side, only to realize that the path we walked together led me away from my truth, my essence, and my potential. Today, I find the courage to say what has been long overdue – goodbye.
For five years, I gave you the brush to paint on the canvas of my life, believing you’d create a masterpiece of love, understanding, and growth. Instead, you blotted the canvas with shades of control, deceit, and negligence, leaving me to question my worth, my identity, and my sanity. I mistook your manipulations for love, your indifference for patience, and your criticisms for guidance. In this twisted narrative, I lost sight of who I was and who I could be.
Thank you, though. Yes, thank you. Not for the pain, the tears, or the lost years, but for the lessons that came from them. You taught me resilience in the face of relentless belittling, strength when I was most vulnerable, and the power of my voice after being silenced for so long. These lessons were costly, paid for with pieces of my heart and fragments of my spirit, but they are invaluable to the woman I am becoming.
The countless nights I lay awake, analyzing every word, every argument, wondering how love could be so conditional, so painful, so unrecognizable – those nights are behind me now. I’ve come to understand that what we had was not love but a cycle of emotional captivity masquerading as a relationship. Love does not diminish; it uplifts. Love does not imprison; it frees. Love does not create self-doubt; it fosters self-assurance.
With every harsh word, every dismissal of my feelings, every time you chose to look through me rather than at me, you chipped away at the foundation of our connection, leaving me standing alone in the rubble of what could have been. Yet, here I stand, not as a victim of your choices but as a survivor, reclaiming the pieces of myself that were lost in the chaos of us.
The emotional scars will take time to heal, and memories will linger, occasionally casting shadows on my brighter days. However, these scars are now the marks of my liberation, and the memories serve as reminders of what I will no longer accept in the name of love.
I’ve realized that my value does not decrease based on your inability to see my worth. I am deserving of a love that recognizes and celebrates my depths, not one that drowns me in shallows. Your perception of me was a reflection of your limitations, not my reality. I am more than what you made me believe I was.
As I bid you farewell, I also let go of the resentment, the bitterness, and the sorrow. Holding onto them would only keep me tethered to a past that’s meant to be released. I forgive you, not for your sake but for mine, to liberate my heart from the chains of our history and to make room for a future filled with the genuine love and respect I deserve.
This goodbye is not just to you but to the version of myself that accepted less than she deserved, to the days spent in doubt and self-compromise, and to the illusion that I needed you to complete me. I am whole, I am enough, and I am capable of creating a life that reflects my worth.
In this goodbye, I embrace my new beginning, one where I am the author of my story, painting my canvas with bold, vibrant colors of self-love, empowerment, and true happiness. I step forward not with fear but with excitement for what lies ahead, for the doors that will open when I choose to close the one that leads back to you.
So, to the man who wasted five years of my life, thank you for the lessons, but your time in my story is over. I’m turning the page, ready to write chapters filled with love, growth, and joy – experiences you once made me believe were beyond my reach.
Farewell, Past. Hello, Future.
Sincerely,
A Woman Reborn