Dear (ex-girlfriend),
I want to thank you for something that you told me a long time ago that has crossed my mind at least once per day since you said it. I didn’t think enough of it at the time, but everyday since then it has crept closer and closer to the forefront, and only very recently has become so overbearing that I’ve had to face it. Doing so has forced a major and necessary shift in my values. This transitional period has been lonely and difficult, as I prefer to deal with my problems internally and without the help of others.
As I’m sure you remember, my independence has always been a foundational part of my identity. I probably used to speak to you about my future plans as being extraordinary and thus irreconcilable with traditional values. Though that is still true to a large degree, as I am currently, and may still be for many years, laying a foundation for bigger things to come, I have discovered that there is a particular part of traditional life that I would rather not miss out on. I bet you can probably guess what that is without my saying it, but I’ll say it anyway because I want to tell you in your exact words in case you have forgotten…
You once told me, in the most sincere and distinct tone I’ve heard anyone say anything, “You would be doing the world a disservice by not having a kid.”
What I naively thought at the time to be an attack on my rational independence, I now acknowledge as the greatest compliment anyone has ever given me. I’m certain that it will continue to serve as a reminder of what besides my creative endeavors is most meaningful in life, and that it is in itself perhaps the greatest creative/intellectual endeavor.
With time on my side, I don’t yet know when or with whom it will happen, but I’ve decided that it must happen nonetheless. I have you to thank for that in part. So, thank you. And, I thought you should know that you are the first person I have told this to. I thought that was only fair given the effect your statement has had on me, whether or not you intended such an effect.
Anyway, I hope all is well with you, and if you are at all inclined to reach out to me as a friend for any reason whatsoever, I will always be open to that. My number is still… and will be until mid September, at which point I’ll be leaving the country for a while. Perhaps we could discuss that, along with what you’ve been up to, at another time.
Cheers,
Britton
Overthought Consulting 