As a label, I feel like the word ex has a lot of negative association wrapped up in it. And yet it’s used widely in society.
Maybe at the moment of separation, where emotion is at its strongest, the new term is borne into existence and captures this negative emotion. Like the One Ring being forged in the fires of Mount Doom.
I’m not sure. I just feel like the word is used unfairly.
You spent a considerable amount of time with another. You shared plenty of happy moments, and plenty of sad ones.
The relationship may end well or it may end poorly. But everything ends eventually. So why does ex become the label?
You don’t say your ex-friend. Or your ex-colleague. Or your ex-teacher.
I may be off the mark with this one. Ex may simply be a descriptor of someone you’ve been with romantically, void of any negative emotion, and it’s perfectly acceptable to use the term casually.
But if you reflect on this and also feel the word carries some baggage, instead of saying “my ex”, why not say “my previous partner” or “my former spouse”.
Or maybe just their name?
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