*Your Happily Ever After*

“All endings are also beginnings.” – Mitch Albom

While some people don’t spend a long time in the dating world, many people do. There are so many articles, blogs and stories about love, marriage, dating, etc. I myself have written a few (ok a lot… LOL!). But why is that?

Because it is important. Love is important. There is a lyric in a Ben Rector song that says, “We just wanna be loved.” The song basically says that the reason for almost everything everyone does is for love.

We make jokes, we buy nice things, we get dressed up for dates, we try our best to make a great first impression, we go out of our way & we do a lot of things to be liked or loved by somebody; in my opinion there is nothing wrong with that.

But what’s the point?

There are obviously a lot of points and I could write a whole book on it (that’s an idea), but right now I just want to express how it changes you, how it moves you, and what you get out of it in the end. Just because you get dumped or you end things with someone doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. It can really be a good thing. In hindsight it can be one of the best gifts in the world. You learn about what you want in a future mate, but more importantly, you learn about what you want for yourself.

I like nice, round even numbers, so I thought I would consolidate the list to four. The four people you’ll encounter on your quest for love — even if you never date these four types you might find all four characteristics in one person (but then that person might have more issues than you could ever imagine). But seriously, the four might just come all wrapped in one big pretty box.

1. The perfect match

You might meet your match and this can mean several things. He or she has the same interests as you, same hobbies, same goals, same sense of humor, same personality, etc.
It might literally be a match made in Heaven. However on the flip side being too much alike might have some negative consequences. Dating your twin soulmate could very well drive you crazy. Maybe that’s just what friends are for. Maybe you’ll discover that you want your hobbies, goals and personality to be yours and yours alone. You might meet the person that tests you and challenges you in every way. He/she might argue with you, point out your flaws and make you question everything you believe in. Your match will make you stronger and make you think harder. Make you learn more about yourself than you’ve ever known. Which leads you to the end of that relationship journey with “your match” and that would mean you’ve passed the test and have become a much better version of yourself than who you were when you met.

2. The Yin
During your journey, you’ll meet the yin to your yang. You’ll find your better half. He/she will complete you. Oh so you think!

Yin will hate red Starbursts so you can eat all the red and give them the orange. Yin will be quiet and listen because you’re loud or he’ll be the life of the party because you like to be reserved. He’ll think of things you never would and encourage you to try things. He’ll be your opposite in every way and make you leap out of your comfort zone. But sometimes Yin might be so much different than you & things just fall apart. You’re going down different roads at full speed ahead and you’ll crash and burn if you continue down the same road. But, before you crash & burn, you immediately stop and realize the journey has ran its course and you have come out more alive than ever before.

3. The Giver
We all want to learn to give….
Give love.
Give forgiveness.
Give joy.

It is always easy with this person because they give so freely, they give themselves to everyone and everything they encounter. He or she will be kind-hearted and loving. He will give you the world and then some.
He’ll let you do what you want, say what you want, and have what you want. He will give you all his time, love and energy. He won’t say no and he’ll make sure you’re always happy. That type of giver can be dangerous. That can bring out the worst in you. That can make you the taker. You have to find someone that you love and appreciate enough to give too. Find someone that helps you to be more of a giver as well and not just a taker.

4. The One That Got Away

You’ll meet the person you thought you’d be with forever. The one that got away will be everything you ever wanted and then some. You will feel like the luckiest person in the world standing next to them. You will never feel like you deserve them. They’ll be out of your league from where you stand. You’ll always give 100 percent to ensure you’ll have them forever, however, that will drain you emotionally. You can’t be at your best all the time. Both people in the relationship should feel lucky to be with the other. When this one gets away, it will actually be a relief, and you’ll know that you want someone to love you as much as you love them. And one day you will meet someone that is even better than the one that didn’t stay. I bet in the beginning you never imagined it would end.

✔️Now, their is no number associated with this section because it’s all about *You*

You’ll meet yourself. You will finally figure yourself out. When you do, there’s a pretty good chance the person you are supposed to end up with has just figured himself/herself out too. It’ll happen how and when it’s supposed to. Through all the love, the breakups, the struggles, the fights, the amazing dates and the not so amazing dates, you will fall in love with the most important person and that my friend is “YOU”! —The other people you meet while dating will lead you to who you truly are and that will eventually lead to who you’re supposed to spend forever with. You will learn things about yourself you never knew, and you will learn to be confident in who you are. That’s the key in allowing someone else to love you — is to love yourself first! During the times when you are single and feel like you’ll never find anyone, that’s when you’ll learn the most.

Spending a lot of time with yourself really shows you how fun you are to hang out with, or it could show you that you aren’t so fun to be with, you’ll learn what you need to change to be someone you’d want to be with.
The truth is, I’m sure you already know you will meet way more than four people throughout your love-life.
Most of the time, you’ll meet them without even knowing it. When you finally find the person you’re looking for, you’ll look back at everyone that changed you and guided you to where you finally are. You’ll love them all in the least romantic way possible but, you will appreciate every single good and bad thing they ever did or said because it lead you to your happily ever after.

❤️One Love