I grew up believing that love was this thing that I felt for my parents and somehow my parents felt for each other. I didn't understand the concept of whatever these feelings were until only recently.

Loving someone isn't about talking to them everyday, buying them jewelry, or giving them tons of kisses...no, these only occur if you're really lucky. Except that we have all grown up believing that to love someone, all of those things are required to have a healthy relationship. It's unfortunate because we are all missing the best parts about loving a person. For example,

• Knowing their pet peeves (and using them against the person)
• Thinking about them everyday
• Having them worry about you
• Worrying about them
• Appreciating their smile and laugh
• Knowing each other's routines

These are only a few of my personal favorites. One of the best feelings in the world is just knowing that at any time of the day you can turn to that one person and just talk, knowing that they will always be there to listen. Knowing that person is yours and yours alone is a feeling that everyone deserves.

But sometimes things like this don't come full circle. It's a shame how easily things can get ruined. But what we tend to forget is that life has a funny way of working it's way out. Only recently did I realize that it's possible to love yourself. Actually, it's something I think everyone should do before they love someone in a romantic sense, or let someone do the same to them. Loving yourself first allows for your significant other to recoginize the same qualities you admire in yourself and help you to embrace them.

One last tidbit to remember is that life has a funny way of working itself out. Regardless of what is going on, you have to always believe that fate is working in your favor.