Nine years is a long time and I am glad you to see you've reached this place with your ex-. I am not sure today if I aspire to be there, but time will tell. You do give me hope that time will heal and that it will be possible for my ex- to not have that kind of power on me where I feel the anxiety of being in the same space. Maybe my current relationship is meant to heal me from that feeling.

Happy New Year, my friend!