12 Days Of Learning From My Exes: Day 3.
I am all for taking every experience, and learning something from it, good or bad. So for Christmas I am going to reflect on all the good, and bad, things I have learned about myself, and other people. And what better way to narrow it down then to focus on only the lessons I have learned from the people I deemed important enough to be in a relationship with. Think "The 12 Days Of Christmas", but ex addition.
Disclaimer: I am not one to hold grudges. Anything and everything that happened with the following persons is nothing but a good memory, or a fun story to tell. I care deeply for all of my exes, and they will always hold a tiny piece of my heart. ALL OF THEM.
I met Brendon *blank* towards the end of eighth grade, in the middle of a field behind my house. (Brendon went by a nickname that EVERYONE used, but this boy deserves his own full story post so I'm going to save A LOT of the details for later, along with his nickname.) My best friend, Suzi, and I were walking from my little trailer home to her house when we heard screaming coming from the direction of the elementary school (which is next to the field, behind my trailer). By the second scream it was clear that the sound was coming from a couple of boys who were just goofing off, so... I screamed back in response. This started a war, which continued until they walked into view, and I recognized one of them as a friend from school, Aaron.
We called Aaron over, and his friend followed, a complete stranger I had never seen before. Aaron introduced us to Brendon, who was in high school which was why I didn’t recognize him, and the four of us goofed off in the middle of the field for awhile, before parting ways.
Brendon and I became really close in the months after that, but I never really thought of him as anything other than just a great friend... until one day when he sang to me. It was all downhill after that, I had the biggest crush, so suddenly that I didn’t know what to do about it. So I told my friend Angel. I should have known better.
A month or so before the end of eighth grade, my middle school got to go and tour the high school. It was at the time where we got to watch and see what passing period looks like (my high school is the highest populated high school in the state of South Dakota, passing period looked scary). I was standing there with Angel, looking down at the sea kids, when I saw someone I recognized, it was Brendon. Instantly Angel and I began shouting his name, and waving like a couple of idiots, until he looked up. He just smirked at us, and then disappeared into a row of lockers. It only took a couple minutes before he came walking up the stairs behind us, and to my surprise, gave me a huge hug. So I was off in la la land with Brendon, and this was when Angel decided it would be a good time to blurt out that I liked him. So embarrassing. Brendon just laughed at my super red face, made a flirty little joke, and then took off for his class.
Later on during the tour, Brendon caught up with us as he was supposed to be going to the bathroom. He walked with us for a while, and then suddenly Angel was gone. It was just the two of us, way behind my tour group, and that’s when he pulled me aside, into a random doorway in the Social Studies department, and asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes, obviously, and then he kissed me, and went back to class.
I ran back to my group, jumping around in excitement, as I told Angel what happened. We were great together. Inseparable. If I wasn’t with him, I was talking to him on the phone. We were extremely close, and being with him was all I ever wanted to do. It was also while dating him that I started texting in class, coming home late, and my friends and I even snuck him, and his friends into our schools dances. A lot happened with Brendon, but as I said before, I'm going to save the full story for another post, but I can honestly say that this boy was my first love.
Unfortunately, due to us being just kids, our relationship did end a little rocky during my summer with my dad in Washington. Long distance doesn't go well when you're that young. BUT, that was most definitely not the end for the two of us. We stayed VERY close, and I actually consider him one of my best friends. He knows me better than most people, and the things we have been through, and stuck by each others sides through, are enough to create a novel about. Although I don't think I ever fully got over him, I have accepted that I can never have him again, but I cherish all the memories, and am so grateful for all the love and affection he showed me.
What did I learn from him? HA. What didn't I learn from him? He gave me my first glimpse of love. He showed me just how strong I really am. He constantly reminded me that I was perfect the way I am, and trying to be something I'm not was a waste of time. I learned that the end of a relationship doesn't have to be the end of a friendship, and that if the person is important enough to you, it's worth it to stick around. The power of forgiveness is incredible. And most importantly, to make time for the people that mean the most to you, because you never know what will happen tomorrow.
Rest peacefully, my dearest friend. I miss you more than any words could ever describe. 7/30/92 - 6/10/10
xoxo~
