The One That Got Away?

So recently I was chatting with an old friend on Facebook and she was talking about the one guy that she had liked or dated way back when that she had always wondered about. She said she'd love to see him but that she wasn't sure what would happen if she saw him because he was "that special" to her. She then asked if I had a guy in my past like that. "You know," she said, "The one you think of as 'the one who got away.'" I quickly typed "Not really" and changed the subject.
This person is married, she has been for more than 8 years and she has 2 cute kids and I THOUGHT that she and her hubby were very happy together. Don't get me wrong, I wonder where people from my past are, what they are doing, did they ever get married or have kids, blah, blah, blah. But I have never thought of them as having gotten away from me. I love my husband. If he and anyone from my past standing were standing side by side and I could choose, I would always choose him. There would be no internal debate, and it would not be out of obligation that I would choose him, it would be out of love -- love for him and love for our 4 kids. The people that have come into my life have shaped who I am. They helped, in whatever way, to prepare me to be the wife and mother that I am today. And I am thankful (regardless of how or why those relationships ended) that they were part of my past. Because this guy broke my heart, I not only learned to be a little more cautious, but I can help my daughters through their broken hearts with empathy and understanding. Since I was a total ass to this guy, then I can try to prevent my kids ever acting that way, and I can help my sons through a similar experience should it ever happen to them. I can relate to my husband because of little things I gleaned from these relationships. I interacted with their friends and families and that taught me alot about how I want my own family to be viewed by others and how to make our home life a reflection of who we are. No matter how small, I learned SOMETHING from every dating relationship that I ever had.
So no, I do not have "one that got away." My dating life was more of a "catch and release" experience. Those guys (most of them anyway) were mine while I had them, and I was theirs. Until, at some point, one of us let go of the other. So to all the guys that came before my husband, thanks. I am the perfect wife for my husband and the perfect fit for my family because of something I learned from you.