"The story so far"...the Catalyst: Finding My Center

I've replayed our story countless times, searching for a different ending, a different path I could have taken. Yet, each time I do, I come to the same conclusion: the way things unfolded was the only way they could. I know it was messy and it must have seemed heartless, but that was never my intention. The truth is, I never stopped loving you. How could I? You were the most important person in my life, and in many ways, that was the root of my struggle. I needed to change and grow, and I had to do it on my own. Leaving you, as painful as it was, was the only way forward for us both. When we met, we were two wild, impressionable kids. But I was carrying a lifetime of bad programming, living with a forced perspective that contradicted my deepest truths. You were the catalyst who broke through those walls I'd built. You pushed me out of my comfort zone and showed me how good life could be if I trusted myself instead of the outside world. You knew me better than anyone, even now. ...