Exes: Do we really miss them or are they a security blanket?

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I was just thinking about an ex and out of nowhere I realized that the relationship was never really great and while it was intense and had it's moments they was never really more than but a handfull of them throughout the years. I realized that as a boyfriend, he was awful and that lead me to wonder why I still care and why I still think of him. And it hit me, it's not him exactly that I miss but the idea of him. He was a security blanket, as long as I felt like I had hope in my heart whenever he felt like popping back into my life then I didn't have to really ever depend on myself. There was always the "when we're married" in the back of my mind and that kept me from having to plan for myself and take the steps to putting myself out there and accomplishing my goals for myself and by myself. It was like a life with him was plan A and creating my own life was plan Z, pining over him kept me from having to face the thoughts of "what if I go for my dreams and fall flat on my face". But I made myself face who he was really as a boyfriend not how I chose to remember him as being and I realized that my security blanket was musty and full of holes... and just like that I let go. So do you think those hard to forget exes are really just security blankets we use to keep ourselves from having to venture into the reality of the world as it is?