2017-2018 SHS Focus Valentine’s Day Contest - Essay Winners
First Place: John Eason
Dear Disillusioned Girlfriend,
The past two years of my life with you has been extraordinary. Our relationship has made me the happiest I had ever been as well as showed me the true meaning of what it is to love someone. You were able to take me, cold and cynical and improve me into the man I became, striving to always improve for you. However, it would seem despite my best efforts I was unable to measure up and maintain your utmost happiness. That being said it is with immense difficulty that I have decided to release you in the hopes that you may achieve the happiness I failed to provide you with.
I doubt this comes as any surprise to you, as over the past few months I began to see you change. Something was different, something was— wrong, I began to feel as if the passion had been sucked out of you; You had shut me out. As I began to realize I was actively losing you, I attempted to try to understand and analyze the issues between us, but to no avail. It was at this point I realized that I had failed you, failed us; Our Relationship could last no longer. As you continue to drift away unaffected by my actions,num to my passion for you, I feel that this is the only course of action that will prevent further pain.
In addition to losing you emotionally, I was absolutely startled to uncover the next hole in the sinking ship that once was our relationship. One cold,dark,somber afternoon that you decided to cancel our plans together, I decided to go ,and clear my head with a long walk around town. Wandering aimlessly, upset and concerned about you I decided to grab dinner. I opened the door to walk into the restaurant,and that's when I discovered— you had sought the company of another. As I observed you sitting in that booth with him, for that brief moment I was granted the privilege of once again seeing your glowing smile,and charming laughter; You had found happiness once more. I was devastated, I was enraged, I was the source of your pain, I was hurting you to the extent that you someone else was able to take my place in making you happy. As I left that restaurant brokenhearted and broken minded, I knew that I had confirmed my worst fear. My failings resulted in the failure of our relationship, they had caused you to take your problems to him, as he could provide the happiness that I no longer could. With absolute clearness it was wholly apparent— I needed to free you.
In my moment of despair, my moment of revelation, I began to consider, “What if I can fix this? What if I can make things right?” Our relationship meant the universe to me, until this point, for the last two years it had given me purpose, a reason to never give up and to never stop trying to be a better man. As I considered the options of trying to save our relationship, I was only able to conclude that any concession would only result in the prolonging of your suffering. If you had thought that it possible to resolve the issues and restore our relationship to the state it once was in providing us both with love and fulfillment, I knew you would have come to me, like you used to. Rather Instead, you must have decided you were no longer happy, and that I could no longer change that fact. With that in mind I remained with the conclusion that our relationship had reached its unfortunate conclusion.
Though it gives me immeasurable pain to declare, our relationship has reached its end. All I ever wanted for you is love and happiness and I failed to provide you that, in addition to causing you much grief and strife As for myself, I would like to personally thank you, the experience of our relationship has given me something I will never forget, and has served unmeasurable quantities in making me a better man. I wish you good luck and godspeed, in the hopes that your next romance provides you with love, fulfillment, passion, and happiness, and that you may have to bear the pain and burden of this failed relationship no longer.
With a heavy heart,
Formerly yours.
Second Place: Bailey Mills
My dearest Jack,
As soon as we met I believed we would be together for the rest of our lives; me and you against the world. However, as we have spent more and more time together, I feel that my opinion has changed. I find for the wellbeing of both of us… we should stop from seeing each other anymore.
However sudden this might seem -- I am sure this is the right decision. One reason for this is that we are of different worlds. I come from the upper class while you are from the lower. Another reason would be that I am already promised to another man. So, if I were to be with you; I would be referred to by other women as unfaithful or a wench. And a third being how my mother does not approve of this ‘relationship.’ Having her accepting means the world to me -- if we were to have her approval that might have kept us together.
From a different standpoint, you seem to have an interest in me, all the while, you seem as though you could care less of what I am doing. Again, you treat me as though we have been lovers for the longest time, then leave me to myself. Is that normal behavior? Should I not be worried about when you just up and disappear on me with no explanation? Am I allowed to worry are we even in a relationship? Do you actually care for me or is it just fun to have this time on the ship to mess with me? To say we are together would that be a lie? And then when we dock are you planning to just run away? Or am I overreacting?
With all of my reasons now known by you, I will also acknowledge what I will miss from our time together. I fell in love with you slowly, and all at once. The most fun I have ever had in my entirety of living was these past few days I spent with you. Now, unfortunately it must be coming to an end for us. Our time will soon end and we will part once we get back to shore. Saying this does not mean I will forget the wonderful time we have spent and memories we have made. I am saying I must grow up and become a proper lady; not have fun and mess around. I believe what I had for you was infatuation, however, I am sure I will soon grow out of this infatuation and where will we be?
After reading this, I do hope you understand why I made this decision and it was not an easy one to make. However, my mind is made up and I will not be changing the decision. Please do not try and change my mind or beg me to rethink my decision. Jack, my love, do me one last favor after we stop seeing each other. Go out and enjoy the world and fin yourself, as well as true love.
Rose
Third Place: Dalton Avery
Left: Paula Boothman; Right: Dalton Avery
Dear Hannah,
This decision did not come quickly nor lightly, this idea has been on my mind for a very long time. You and I are not exactly perfect for each other, we both have different futures envisioned, we do not want the same things for each other. We must break up; while we are happy together, this happiness is merely temporary, there are better people out there for each of us.
I know that I am not the only one of us that has been thinking about this, you would have to be oblivious to not notice the differences between us. For one, I would like to be able to travel once I have graduated college and hopefully gotten a job that allows me to do so — you would rather settle down and have a family. That reason alone is enough for us to be thinking about breaking up, but of course that would not affect us for a while. That reason may not be enough to be talking about this now but there are many others that have me bringing this up now, one being the fact that I always have your back in any situation but I am never able to receive mutual respect. Respect and trust are huge parts of relationships and our relationship has issues with both.
In the past few month, I feel that we have been drifting apart, we don’t do things together like we used to. You claim that you are the same person you have always been but it is obvious to me that is not true, your entire attitude when talking to me has changed. You have started relying much more on other people instead of coming to me with your issues like you used to do, a major part of a relationship is communication, which we are losing quickly. We used to talk all the time, we were best friends, some say that makes for an incredible relationship but I guess we proved them wrong. At least we were able to have fun with it while it lasted.
We were happy, I have no idea as to what possibly changed about us but we used to be extremely happy with each other. I was the first person you wanted to tell good news to and the person you always came to when you were having a bad day, we helped one another. Where that went, no one knows, we have drifted apart, you have someone better to tell your good new to, and someone better to rant to when you are upset. It is a great thing that we are able to end it where we are and move on while we still have time to. While you still say you love me I see the real side of things, we are no longer perfect for each other, people change, and that is alright.
Some people just are not meant to be, there was no way we could have known any sooner. I wish you the best on your journey through life without me, but we are officially finished.
Sincerely,
Dalton
Honorable Mention: Brady Scoggins
Dear Tide Pods, I’ve tried you once or twice and thought you were very nice. There comes a point in ones life when they realize they have to let go something they love due to the frequent trips to the hospital. I’m sullened that this relationship has to end but when the Doctors know you personally by the many visits that’s when you know your love is toxic and has to cease. What has been done is irreversible; I can no longer breath right, I get constant aches of pain due to the tumor, my skin always feel likes its burning, and my liver and kidneys no longer function correctly. Because of you I now have to see a therapist and numerous doctors, which they have been warning me for sometime to let you go and that you are no good. I never listened and now I wish I had. Another we will never ever ever get back together is that you have been with many other people while we were still going. I sticked with you because I thought you could change, I thought you would stop spreading and getting around to other people and causing them harm. Yeah, not only have you caused me harm you have caused other innocent people harm, you have somehow found your way to young kids and done them terribly once they were with you. You have many deaths on your hands; I somehow got lucky kind of because you may not have killed me but I now have many medical problems. Man, how did I not get out of this sooner. How I wish I had listened to my family, friends, and doctors who said you were nothing but trouble. Well, we did have some pretty good times together tho. I remember my first time with you. Oh, how you looked oh so good and that first moment I had put you between my lips, how squishy you felt between them. I went to the hospital after that and thanks to you I had met the person I thought could be the one. I was later left with a broken heart because I could not quit seeing you and do harm to myself. Nevertheless we are over with, we are not getting back together, we are through. There is just to many negatives than positives. The only positive memory I remember is really short and it ends negatively. I’ll never forgive you nor myself for all that has been done.
Goodbye,
The One You Harmed
