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Letter to My Ex | Part 2

Hi.

I want you to know that I will always think of the time we had with a smile. I wish I could forget about everything that happened in the last couple of months but it’s not that easy. It all gave the beautiful time we had such a bitter taste. I wish this weren’t the case. I wish that I would’ve realized sooner that our paths are different now than they once were. It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing we can do about it now.

I wish you meant it when you said that we were gonna stay friends and keep in contact. I miss you. With this breakup, I also lost my best friend. I wish we were more mature and could end a relationship and keep it going as a friendship. I understand that this would have felt degrading to you as I know you are prone to thinking in terms of labels. I wish we could’ve been the one couple making it work. Maybe we can one day.

You are a great guy and I know I will regret this step one day. I also would regret not taking this step. It hurts that there was no other way. It’s also a little comforting to know that whatever we were going to do would end in sorrow. There was no good choice. We made the hard choice and it was the only possible one. We knew it was the right one but that doesn’t change how shitty it feels.

We always had obstacles against us. You know what I’m talking about. We always seemed to make it work. And yes, we had ups and downs. But at least we were together. It always seemed worth fighting but so many things changed. I am barely the same person I was seven years ago. I always wanted more and you may think I am childish. Maybe you are a little scared. And I get it, change is scary. There is no going back, like jumping off a cliff. The one thing that always kept me going (and growing) was knowing that you’d be there with me. And fuck it, our path was tangled and twisted, but we always made it work. No matter what others said about us. I wish we could have continued our journey together but I know that what I want in my future is not what you want in yours. At least not right now.

Maybe you are further along a certain path to ‘forever’ than I am. Maybe I am not done exploring and doing. And while I felt very much alive with you, my lust for life and sensation and exploration hasn’t faded. I have so much energy left and I wanna do things you’re not interested in. And I knew I couldn’t force it on you. I tried and I know I hurt you in the process and you weren’t happy and I wasn’t happy. In a way, I felt as if I couldn’t be my full self anymore. And maybe you couldn’t be your full self anymore either. I honestly don’t know.

We both have our issues and I know that mine sometimes overshadowed yours. I was so focused on myself that I sometimes didn’t fully see you and your needs. I am sorry for that. Problems with mental health are serious and I know you know that. You were the first and only person I ever felt like I could share everything with – maybe even too much. You knowing exactly what was going on with me might have been a problem. I got lazy and tired. I stopped working on my issues because everything was fine for the moment. But we both know that it wasn’t fine. It took time and energy and left us both frustrated. I still don’t feel OK. Maybe I never will be. But if there’s anything good coming out of this whole mess it’s my promise – to myself and to you – that I will keep improving. I know I can get better as I’m making progress every day. But I’m pretty sure I will never be as ‘normal’ as others. That’s okay for me. I’m not sure if it would have ever been okay for you. And I don’t wanna get into too many details here and keep this part intentionally vague. But I get it. I get how frustrating I can be and how all that shit reflected badly on the relationship. Nothing of it is your fault and I want you to know that. I’m just scared that I never will be OK, never good enough to be in a relationship. I know I’ll drive a lot of people mad. Maybe I have to keep working until I feel good about myself again. You might be the only person who understands why this is so hard for me. I’m so sad I can’t talk to you anymore. You always gave me hope. What a priceless quality.

Looking back now, I know I did many things wrong. But I didn’t forget about the things you did wrong either. Unfortunately, we both didn’t. All the small details… So small at one point, but piled up over the years. Every time we had a fight or a discussion we couldn’t let go of past mistakes. We could never move forward and focus on the present. It seems so ridiculous in retrospect but also very normal and human.

I won’t ever forget you and I will always have a special place in my heart for you. I hope you are doing well. If there’s anything I could do to help you mend, I would. But I don’t think I can. I hope you were honest when we met up a couple of weeks ago and you said you’re doing better without me. And that was honestly the second most painful thing you ever said to me. But I was also happy you said it because that’s what I wish for you. Maybe our paths will cross once again in the future. I just know that I need time alone. Maybe we can be friends at some point. I guess, we’ll have to wait and see but I really hope we didn’t destroy everything we ever had.

Thank you for an amazing time. I have never loved like I did with you. It was truly spectacular. There’s nothing I can write to describe how beautiful it was. Others will never know and that may be the beauty of it.

You truly grew to become the elephant to carry me. I just hope I wasn’t too heavy.

 

BenLeander

 

 

 

Click here to read Part 1.

Title photo by Billy Kidd.

Compulsive nonconformist who left the 9-to-5 world after studying psychology and has since then devoted himself to design and writing on a freelance basis. Has at least four different kinds of chips at home at any given time.

Comments

  • 15. April 2018
    reply

    Omg this is so touching, I definitely relate, man. I\’m sorry youre hurting. I feel so similarly to everything you described here. Ugh, heartache sucks.

    • 15. April 2018
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      Yeah, I guess we\’re in the same boat only that it\’s two separate boats, equally lonely. Good thing is that times change and things change. We will have it figured out (better) some day. Let\’s hope it doesn\’t take us too long!

  • 14. February 2018
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    Wow, I can read this letter was written with so much love, passion, and sadness! Hope that you can heal. Writing helps a lot, there\’s some stuff you can\’t say with words, but for some reason, they come easily thru pen and paper.

    • 14. February 2018
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      Thank you so much for your kind words! I completely agree… Sometimes it comes easier writing thoughts down than saying them.

  • 10. February 2018
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    Nicole Caudle

    This was very intimate and revealing. I love the real emotion and the line I lost my best friend. When I went through my divorce I felt the exact same way.

    • 12. February 2018
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      It\’s good to hear, I\’m not the only one.. that others relate. May I ask if you ever got him back – as your best friend?

  • 8. February 2018
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    diana

    You were so strong to write such a touching letter! Emotion is expressed at its best!

  • 8. February 2018
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    This is so revealing and raw, I almost feel like I\’m not allowed to read it! This had me sniffling a bit, such touching story. Thanks for sharing.

    • 12. February 2018
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      Thank you for your kind words! You were def allowed to read mine 😉

  • 8. February 2018
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    That really makes the feels on my bus go round and round. What a tear jerker this is.

  • 8. February 2018
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    Writing letters to an ex might sound cheesy, but it does help. Even if the ex never reads it. Sometimes becoming friends again too quickly might not be possible because of all the pain. You need time apart to heal and to find yourself. It seems like you two had a good thing going. Maybe one day you meet again, but this time you will both be in the same place at the same time. Who knows…

    • 12. February 2018
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      Thank you for your comment. I agree with what you\’re saying. I too hope that someday we will…

  • 7. February 2018
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    It’s so important to express your emotions honestly and candidly. So many people think emotions equal weakness and that’s not true at all.

  • 7. February 2018
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    It\’s amazing to see that you\’re willing to admit there were issues on both ends. Not a lot of people are willing to do so. That\’s very mature of you.

    • 12. February 2018
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      I tried to stay as honest as I possible could! Thanks for the feedback!

  • 7. February 2018
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    this was amazing to read. sometimes it is good to get your feelings out there even if the person you are writing to cant see it!

  • 7. February 2018
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    relationships are not easy. reflecting back is good to get things off your mind and move on

  • 7. February 2018
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    This is wonderful. I always find that it helps me to move past things faster when I write about it. Thank you for sharing your story.

  • 7. February 2018
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    miljance93mommysup

    I am glad you write this! Mostly because when we put things on paper, we are ready to continue again. And this was also very touching for me, because it is so true and in some way – inspirational. I wish you all the luck. Don\’t worry, you will complete your half some day!

    • 12. February 2018
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      Thank you for your very kind words! At the moment, I am not worried about that. I actually feel quite good about being alone. I rather wanna come to the point where I feel great about being myself, then I\’ll think about looking for someone.

  • 7. February 2018
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    This was so touching. If I were to write a letter to my ex, I would say thank you to them. They taught me alot.

  • 7. February 2018
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    This was so touching. If I were to write a letter to my ex, I would say thank you to them. They taught me alot.

  • 7. February 2018
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    What a raw, and touching letter. You really put yourself out there and I applaud you for that. Sending love to you as your heart heals.

  • 6. February 2018
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    I read this letter through tears because I could feel every emotion in it. I, too, wrote a similar letter to the man I loved (and published it on my blog) and I have to tell you it was so cathartic. I also had to be intentionally vague in some areas of the letter as not to reveal details to the entire world, but it got the point across. Thanks for giving us such a private glimpse into your world. Much love to you as you heal your heart!

    • 12. February 2018
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      I take it as a compliment that you could relate to the emotions in this as it was a really emotional post to write, I also teared up doing so. And it helped me quite a bit too. I don\’t know how I feel about the whole situation I am in, but it did help. Thanks for your kind words!

  • 6. February 2018
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    This was very real and touching. While I am married now, I look back fondly on most past relationships. I learned from every one, and grew as a person. They made me who I am and prepared me for my husband.

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