I love love. My parents joked that I was their Valentine from God. Not only was I born on Valentine's Day, as a child I seemed to possess qualities that aligned themselves well with the holiday. I loved more intensely than any other child in my peer group. I was fiercely loyal and helped wherever I was most needed. The word that comes to mind when thinking of my childhood is kindness. Kindness to the girl who didn't speak English well and needed a friend the most. Kindness to the boy whose home life was not ideal, who needed a confidant he could trust. Love was in abundance in my life and it was a simple choice to share it. And isn't kindness another form of love?
I have found this quality to be a strength and a burden. I feel my emotions and the emotions of others more unrelentingly than others I know. My mother tells me that the way I feel isn't normal. That other people don't experience the height of feeling that I do in various situations. As a result of this, I seemed to become a dreamer. Someone whose head was in the clouds with feet decidedly unattached to the ground and thus, reality. I like to think of a world where love prevails with hatred and evil unequivocally losing. In short, I am a romantic.
That being said, I do not believe in soulmates. Soulmates are the stuff and nonsense of the media industry. At this point in my life, I have found it impossible to browse social media content without encountering some friend or acquaintance professing their love to a person they claim to be their best friend and soulmate. I am reminded of Daniel Sloss's comedy special, "Jigsaw" where he discusses the plight of couples "in love." What struck me the most was when he discussed how many of us find our soulmates so close to home. Mind you, there is a planet with billions of people and you found your one true soulmate twenty minutes from where you live? I don't think so.
I believe that we are compatible with many people. It depends on who we are and what has happened in our life to shape us (nature vs nurture becomes nature and nurture combined). All of those variables come together to create the unique individual that all of us are. That unique individual shares a level of compatibility with another unique individual and they both experience various situations that can either increase or decrease their level of compatibility. A couple will grow in friendship and love as they experience things that cause their relationship to improve.
Looking back at my theory, it lacks the romantic vibe that I desire the most in humanity, but it makes sense to me and almost makes me happier. I'm no longer searching for this one perfect human being for me. I'm looking for the person who I get along with, who is capable of growing their love with me.
I still love love. I am still a dreamer. I am all of the above with a practical mind.
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