breathe.
dog is my co-pilot.
last week my best friend’s fiance left for his bachelor party.
their dog would NOT stop crying about it. seriously…nonstop howling.
so, i did what any fabulous aunt would do. i grabbed his face, looked him deep in the eyes and said ‘he’s gone. he isn’t coming back. get over it.’
and then my best friend laughed and said, ‘that’s what he’s saying to you’
touche. (and probably the funniest thing i’ve heard in a long time! ex oh, dee dee)
boy, don’t try to front…
fact.
he was:
a) a dreamboat
b) hilarious
c) fun to be with
d) easy to talk to
e) the perfect mix of sweetheart and asshole…
f) a colleague (which brings me to g)
g) off limits
i had a crush on a co-worker for about a year before i ever had a real conversation with him. he was funny. he was sweet. he was charming. he was italian. and he was: gorgeous.
for the first year i worked with him, i thought he had a girlfriend. and by the time we became pals, i was jussssssst out of a relationship and having fun dating everyone and their dads (brothers, uncles, cousins, nephews). besides – i had a strict ‘don’t shit where you eat’ policy. the fact is, i liked my job…and nothing good ever comes from dating a co-worker. so, we were friends. i told him about my endless dating disasters and he told me about the endless number of girls throwing themselves at him (i could hardly blame them – i’m telling you…the boy was delicious – complete & pure yumminess). being friends worked for us. until one night…
he called me and told me that he had officially put in his 2 weeks notice at work (he was moving back home to go back to school) and therefore we were no longer co-workers…which meant, we could date. huuuuuuuuuuh?! my head almost exploded.
he had a crush too?!
what’s a gal to do?
when a dreamy hunkahunka burnin’ love is trying to nudge the dating door open, you kick that shit wide OPEN!
my best friend was having a dinner party the next night and so, i took him. our first date: me. and my best girls. it had the potential to be completely awkward, but it never was. he was the perfect date. i fell a little in love with him that night. and i think my best friend did too. the only thing wrong was knowing he’d be moving across the country in a couple months…
up until that point, he was literally the most perfect guy i had ever met. well, not perfect, but at the time: perfect, for me. i was pretty crazy about him, briefly. the problem was, we were very very alike. manipulative, alpha types who both need to be in control of our relationships. so, i was never able to let myself really fall. i was always holding back. i like to think of it as self-preservation. walls are there to protect me. and i’m not silly enough to fall head over heels for a casanova. no matter how charming. who knows what would’ve happened if he hadn’t moved away? but ‘what if’ is a waste of time. i’m grateful for the time we spent together. and he’ll always have some real estate in my heart. even if it does belong to someone else.
i’ve had enough so-so for the rest of my life.
there are few things worse than watching your friend settle for someone who isn’t good enough for them. i just can’t wrap my head around the concept of settling. i mean, sure…nobody is perfect and all that, but they can be perfect for you .
it’s no secret. finding “the one” is no easy feat. if you’ve found that person (or think you have ~ for now, good for you, i’m happy for you. thrilled. ecstatic. and possibly a little envious. if you haven’t, then i can relate.
the media pervades our minds with ideas of forever…and not a realistic version of it. we’re supposed to find ‘the one’ and live happily ever after. don’t get me wrong. i’m secretly a hopeless romantic and i loooooove the all the cheesy movies that are responsible for my lack of clarity when i fall for a boy. but all that said, one does need to keep a level head and realize (sadly) that these situation just don’t tend to happen in real life.
happy endings don’t just materialize after your lost glass slipper created by your fairy godmother is placed on your foot. you have to fight (fairly) for them. and want them. and believe in them. it’s not easy, it takes work. and most people aren’t willing to do what it takes (hence our divorce rate). or maybe we just don’t know HOW to do it? maybe our parents didn’t set the best example? maybe our family is filled with cheaters and liars and we’re unable to figure out how to make a good, healthy relationship work. true love isn’t forever unless you’re really interested in making it work. and based on our fat, lazy society…how many people look like they’re interested in anything that takes any work?
sorry if that’s a little hard to swallow, but i sincerely believe this. for example, i LOVE food. LOVE it. i love sweets, i love peanut butter, i love chips, i LOVE lemon month at souplantation, i love it all. but guess what? i also love fitting into my pants…so, i’ve come to accept that it takes work. it takes exercise, moderation, and constant work. it’s a sad, true fact.
i’m no stranger to love. i’ve loved several times…and several times thought it was my ‘forever love,’ but every time – it didn’t last. the reasons were different each time…but it all essentially boiled down to the same thing: we changed. and grew apart.
my 20 year-old self wanted something very different than my (almost) 30 year-old self does. and my 25 year-old self wanted something completely different than my 27 year-old self…what i’m getting at is: people change…it’s inevitable, but the key seems to be finding someone you can grow with. clearly it happens. otherwise we wouldn’t see couples celebrating 50 year anniversaries. i’m always curious about these couples. are they still in love? were they ever? when the butterflies and sparks fade, what remains?
this has basically just turned into a stream of consciousness at this point…thoughts and ideas on love, relationships…i realize i’m all over the place, but that’s how i am on the subject in general. at least, for now. so, look for love. and be romantic, but remember to use wise mind and in the end, if the love you’ve found doesn’t work then cherish the good memories and look forward to great times ahead.
our experiences will all be different, but in the end, that’s all you have: your own story. and your own experiences by which to define love.
and who knows? maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones celebrating your 50 year anniversary…
race to the altar.
i was thinking today…about past relationships. and the whole contest thing. you know what i’m talking about: the ‘i’m so much happier without you and i’m in love and he’s so much better than you’ thing. it’s a contest. sure, we don’t admit it. or really talk about it…but it is. and if your ex-boyfriend gets married before you, then you lose. (yeah yeah, put aside all that marrying the right person crap. blah blah. i KNOW! clearly, i know. still single, remember?!) anyway, even less talked about is the whole race among girl friends. of course we all want our best pals to be happy. and blissfully so. but i won’t lie and say i didn’t relate to kim kardashian’s (self-indulgent) temper tantrum as her younger sister lived out her wedding dream. (albeit, khloe married a laker not a saint. tomato. tomatoh.)
wrong timing. wrong guy. wrong state. wrong ring. wrong, wrong, wrong. i know (without a doubt) that i’d rather be single than with the wrong guy. the fact is, i don’t believe in divorce and i’d rather spend eternity alone than with someone i’m not completely crazy about. but sometimes (read: very recently since turning 29), i wonder…why not me? why hasn’t it happened for me yet?
and then, i remember: i’m exactly where i’m supposed to be. sharing my thoughts in a very public diary and thus ensuring that it’ll be a long long time before it’s my time. and i’m okay with that. most of the time.
sdinsd 