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The Ghost of Boyfriends Past Is on Facebook

November 23, 2011 by Jenn 8 Comments

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There was one person with whom I maintained a friendship in my high school years; he became my best friend through most of my most troublesome teenage years.

Until I did something really stupid.

I agreed to marry him. I was 17.

I had extremely low self esteem. No…that does not adequately describe it – I did not have ANY self esteem. At that time, I honestly believed that he was the only person who would ever love me, so when he presented me with the choice of either marrying him, or ending our friendship, I agreed to marry him.

Was I in love with him?

Nope.

But I did love him. In that platonic, he-is-my-best-friend-in-the-world sort of way. I adored him. He was sweet and sensitive, he wrote me poetry and pressed dried flowers between strips of scotch tape to make bookmarks for me. He quit doing drugs for me.

He called me princess.

When I finally came to terms with the fact that I wasn’t in love with him and that I never would be, I ended things. It didn’t go well. He took it hard, which I expected.

He never wanted to see me again.

And I didn’t see him again for a very long time. About 10 years, actually.

I went on with my life, started dating my daughter’s father the same week he and I split up. That relationship ended, then another, then another. I met and married my husband.

Then one day, out of nowhere, my mother called to tell me that he was at their house looking for me. I live only a few blocks away, so I went to see what he wanted.

He wanted to know why. It turns out that he had gone on with his life too. He had been married and his wife had just left him. We talked for a while, I tried to explain to him that he just wasn’t what I had wanted back then, and then we went our separate ways.

I have always regretted allowing myself to be sucked into a romance with him. He was the single most best friend I have had in my life – even to this day (aside from my husband, of course). He was completely selfless, compassionate and loving. I still miss having a friend like that, even 15 years later.

Why am I sharing this with you all today?

I got this message from him on Facebook yesterday:

And it made me a little sad. There have been so many things in the past 15 years that I would have liked to have shared with him. My life is pretty damn fantastic.

Almost 20 years ago, as my family sat around the table on Thanksgiving, it was my turn to say what I was thankful for. I said, “I am thankful that I have a friend.” That friend I was referring to was him, because our friendship at the time was the best thing in my life.

I have come a long way since I was that depressed teenage girl, who could only think of one thing to be thankful for. As I sit at my parent’s dinner table this Thursday, I will have a laundry list of things to be thankful for.

One of the things that I am thankful for is that I was able to make that decision 15 years ago, to end that relationship and move towards the life I wanted. I have always regretting hurting him, but this person that I have become, this life that I lead…it would have never been possible if I hadn’t done what I knew in my heart was the right thing to do.

Sometimes in life, we face hard decisions. Sometimes people get hurt, even if we don’t want them to. Sometimes we lose people because of the decisions we make.

But you only live once…and life is too short to spend it being unhappy.

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Filed Under: Writing

About Jenn

The Rebel Chick embraces a realistic approach to life. I talk about relationships, marriage, divorce, dating, raising children, and how to do it all in a way that allows us to lives our lives full of joy and happiness...and adventure! I share recipes, travel stories, product reviews, and any helpful advice that allow my readers to live happier lives.

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Comments

  1. Jodi says

    November 23, 2011 at 8:55 am

    I want my daughter to read this. She is SO FOCUSED on having a boyfriend, and I know from experience that’s not the route to take. May be hearing/reading it from someone else will help her.

    Thank you for writing this!

    The hardest decisions are sometimes the best to make. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jenn says

      November 23, 2011 at 9:23 am

      I hope that she reads it! We are in such a rush to grow up in our teenage years that we often miss out on the fun of being a teen!

      Reply
  2. Crystal W. ( says

    November 23, 2011 at 9:26 am

    I’m sure this wasn’t an easy one to write but I’m so glad you did. I’m proud of you for being brave enough to leave when you weren’t in love with him. That had to be tough. Maybe you’ll be able to revive the friendship that you once had. Either way, I hope he reads this and realizes how much he meant (means) to you.

    Reply
  3. Lee says

    November 23, 2011 at 11:00 am

    I have a really hard time with certain ex-boyfriends on Facebook. I might be happy in my marriage, but sometimes its sad to think about the past and all that was lost. Recently my high school sweetheart had a baby, for some reason it bothered me. I’m happy for him though. But I felt like, “he is mine, lay off baby mama”. LOL

    Lee

    Reply
  4. Alison says

    November 23, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    You know you totally just made me shed a tear. I’m so happy you have many more things to be thankful with now and that your life rocks! Sorry you couldn’t salvage a great friendship though, but maybe y’all could have a different friendship now that your older. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Megan says

    November 23, 2011 at 5:50 pm

    It’s hard to keep things in the past especially when we see what could have been in friendships.

    Reply
  6. HilLesha says

    November 24, 2011 at 10:55 am

    Great post! I wish I had read this as a teenager, but experience has taught me so much!

    Reply
  7. nicole says

    November 24, 2011 at 11:05 am

    This made me tear up. xo

    Reply

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