This is an assignment i did for English

It is so important not to take things for granted. Your life is your own, and God gave it to you. There is no reason to not appreciate the things all around you, because when you are not of this earth anymore, what will you think of your life? What will you think of yourself? That, of course, is not to say that everyone hasn’t taken advantage and not appreciated the things they have sometimes…. I would like to tell you a story. A story of my ex boyfriend and I… a story of love that was taken for granted.
It was great in the beginning, we held hands and cuddled and held each other. We explored things that we had never had before in anyone else, and it was wonderful. I learned how to love, and he did too. But after about 8 months, things started to go downhill… with me. I was so wrapped up in the things that were going on around me at home that I forgot just what a breathtaking guy I’d had. He stayed with me, because he loved me and wanted to make me happy, because that’s what love is. Love is not selfish or greedy or jealous. Love is just that feeling that never leaves you, that gives you butterflies.
I took for granted the fact that he would be there forever, because that’s what we’d always talked about. It was always “our dogs name will be this” or “our house will be painted like that”. But I knew I was pushing him away, just the fact that he cried on me and held me when I had and anxiety attack, or when I fell on the ground crying he picked me up and brought me to sit down with him.
What I didn’t know was that he might leave me. I was so naive to his feelings, and I was too wrapped up in my own. I took him for granted. I took our love to a new level long ago and now I was backing away from my promises.
The quote “I would rather be able to appreciate the things I cannot have than have the things I cannot appreciate” is so true. I know now that I need to work on myself and getting my life back rather than worry about a relationship. As much as I want him back, and as much as I still love him more than a year later, I would not take him back until I have fixed myself. Because I hurt him, I realized that there are some times when you need to focus on yourself rather than someone else. It is more selfish to hurt them because you want them than it is to need to help yourself first. Because THAT is taking someone for granted.