Team Bash
When you’re walking through an airport, you don’t usually want anything surprising to happen. However, when Redditor IMAMenlo spotted a note on a chair with ‘READ ME’ written on it while heading to his gate at San Francisco Airport, he couldn’t resist opening it up.
He was amazed by what he found.
The letter contained a silver necklace and a handwritten note. The note was heart wrenching, uplifting and inspirational all at the same time. It detailed a woman’s escape from an abusive relationship, and how she coped in the aftermath. It’s incredible advice that deserves to be reprinted in full.
The incredible letter said:
“I recently left an emotionally abusive relationship.
After months of insults I wont repeat, false accusations, lies, delusions, broken mirrors, nightly battles…. I left. I know that I was being poisoned by each day that I stayed. So with a heavy heart, I left my lover of three years, knowing that I had already put it off too long. At first he begged, then he cursed, but eventually he packed his bags and faded out of my life like a bad dream.
For the first few weeks, my body seemed to reject this. For three years I had seen the world through him-colored glasses. I didn’t know who I was without him. Despite the kindness of friends and even strangers. I could not help feeling utterly alone. But it was this sense of aloneness that set me free. Somewhere along the way, I let go. I released all of the painful memories, the names he had called me, the shards of him buried deep in my brain. I stopped believing the things he had made me think about myself.
I began to see how extraordinary, breathtakingly beautiful life is. I meditated, drank too much coffee, talked to strangers, laughed at nothing. I wrote poetry and stopped to smell and photograph every flower. Once I discovered that my happiness depends only on myself, nothing could hurt me anymore. I have found and continue to find peace. Each day I am closer to it than I was yesterday. I am a work in progress but I am full to the brim with gratitude and joy. And so, since I have opened a new chapter in my life, I want to peacefully part with the contents of the last chapter.
The end of my relationship was the catalyst for a wealth of positive changes in my life. It was a symbol, most importantly, it was an act of self-love. It was a realization that I deserved to be happy and I could choose to be. And so, in an effort to leave behind the things that do not help me grow, I am letting go of a relic from the painful past. I wore this necklace-a gift from him-every day for over tow years. To me, letting it go is a joyous declaration that I am moving forward with strength and grace and deep, lasting peace.
Please accept this gift as a reminder that we all deserve happiness.
Whoever you are, and whatever pain you have faced, I hope you find peace.”
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It’s vital to remember that we can all make our own happiness and create our own paths in life. Toxic relationships can stop us seeing our true potential. Leaving can be incredibly hard, but it gets easier: especially if you treat yourself with kindness and take the time to reflect on life and allow yourself to find peace.
Jamie is a true inspiration to us all, and an incredibly brave woman. If you’ve been inspired by this post, why not share it with your friends and family?
