Always

For the rest of my days I will carry him with me, regardless of whatever happens. This is based on the premise that we are the sum of (or, at the very least, influenced by) our experiences.

He has been involved in 20% of my life - pretty hard not to have been influenced in some way by a person who has been in your life that long.

Who I was/had become by mid-2002 was partially the result of him having been part of my life.

Who I am today is even more so than then; not simply because of the passage of time, rather it is more because he has had a stronger influence on the evolution of me in that time.

Influenced in that we are quite different in some aspects, have different values. Being in close quarters with someone with differing values to yourself allows (maybe forces?) you to examine your own values and decide whether they are appropriate for you still. Sometimes his influence makes me firmer in belief in my values, other times his influence makes me (try to) change my values to ones that are (hopefully) healthier, more appropriate. Sometimes it's not because of the other persons' values, but because of experiences that occured that might not have occurred if with a different partner. e.g. I've become more open minded as a result of things we've done/places we've been during our relationship. Our history shapes us.

He, and the experiences he has brought to me, the history we created, has helped shape who I am, and therefore means he will always be a part of me.


I guess that means I will always be a part of him too.