The 20 Things You Learn When You Finally Let Them Go

1. They are not the most interesting person on the planet. A lot of people know about fancy wines and old movies, and they will teach you all about them without making you feel bad for not knowing them in the first place.

2. Someone else will love you again, despite what they made you believe.

3. You still would have found out about your favorite band without them (just a couple years later, in the pages of a book recommended to you by your first college roommate).

4. You deserve to be chosen every day, not just on the days when you’re at your best. The most wonderful people will love you even harder on your worst days because they’ll understand that that’s when you need it the most.

5. A lot of people know how to play the guitar, and it’s not a good reason to date someone.

6. Having boundaries doesn’t make you selfish. You are a whole person all on your own, and it’s okay to need time to yourself.

7. On the nights that you feel really alone, you might just need a good book and a weighted blanket.

8. One day, you’re going to drive past their street without thinking about them at all.

9. If all of your friends don’t like them, then there’s probably a good reason.

10. A lot of people make really great playlists, and it’s not a good reason to date someone.

11. The person who you were back then is just as deserving as the person you are now (the person you are now just has way better judgement).

12. They are not the only person who understands your sense of humor. There are plenty of people out there who will rewatch comedy specials with you on Sunday afternoons.

13. You deserve a relationship where you don’t have to constantly explain and defend yourself.

14. That song is always going to remind you of them – but you’ll hear a song in a coffee shop on a sunny morning that will become your new favorite song. You won’t miss the old one so much anymore.

15. A lot of people have a really, really nice smile, and it’s not a good reason to date someone.

16. You are allowed to be the most important person in your life.

17. You don’t have to apologize for liking the things that you like. Nobody out there is worth pretending to be someone you aren’t.

18. People who make you feel bad about taking care of yourself aren’t people that you need in your life.

19. You are strong enough to do this on your own, actually.

20. Letting them go is the hardest thing in the world until it’s not. One day, you’ll wake up and realize that they no longer have a hold on you. You’ll be ready to pack up the memories you made together into a little box that lives in the back of your closet – they’ll be there for you when you want to visit them, but you don’t have to carry them around anymore. It’s okay to move on – so many better things are waiting for you when you do. You just have to be brave enough to go get them.