Change comes in the strangest of places. In the midst of storms, sometimes, we find ourselves. Other times, we realize we already found ourselves. And still, we lose ourselves one way or another. The journey of discovery –trial, error, learning, and rediscovery– is the beauty of love and life. It's the beauty of pain and suffering; something bigger is at work. It's all just the smallest of puzzle pieces in our universe, our history, our life, where so much goes by seemingly unchanged either way. In this journey, we meet people and we give our hearts, minds, and bodies away. We seek validation in actions, words, and the press of a "like" button. We raise our standards to feel better about ourselves, and lower them to cure our loneliness.

The simplest of things can be so complex. Relationships, friendship, dating, marriage -each a snowflake.

I've changed some. I made mistakes and let myself adapt to cure my loneliness and desires. I blurred the lines, ignored the warning signs, and chose to be blinded rather than see the light -truth. I said, "I love you," and felt it before I knew whether I meant it! I yearned for everything I didn't have because I wasn't grateful for the life and opportunities I already had. I devoted myself to senseless causes and meaningless relationships to "find myself".

I was an experiment, not a treasure. I was a test, not a human.

And now, dear future significant other, I'm hard to kiss and I'm hard to hold. I'm hard to connect with in all the ways you probably dreamed about, once upon a time. I'm hard to argue with, to convince, to change, to hate, to break. It's because I care more about your mind than your mouth. More about your health and safety than touching your body. More about looking you in the eyes than hiding my actions from younger eyes. It's because I'm devoted, loving, loyal, and strong because the world is fickle, cold, and tough. It's not because I'm incapable or inexperienced, but because I choose to be different than I should be. I ignore the logic and math of life. I'm difficult, in some ways, because you trust a rock to hold your weight and be the foundation of your house when it doesn't move in the winds or the storm. The foundation of who we are is built on every thought and action we take, lesson we learn, and word we speak. And, the trust we are given is often based on how consistent and unwavering we choose to be.

I'm a man, not an experiment. I'm a leader, not a test. I'm a choice, not an accident.

Life is a fun, but tough, game. The last thing you need is another guy abusing your love, ruining your game, because he is not patient or caring. Take this path, too. Be more than someone else's fling. Be more than their "last relationship" or "5th ex". Choose, and live, to be the someone that a man is wait for, that a man will work for. Be more than an experiment or a test; live with purpose. Live with passion. Live with contentment, not complacency.

Live with a love as deep and perfect as the vast oceans. Protect it, invest it, keep it, enjoy it!

I know I'm silly and seem to try way too hard to be philosophical, I hear it plenty. But, thanks, dear future someone. Thanks for taking the advice I wish I could give you. Thanks for being more than I thought anyone else could be. Thanks for changing lives and being more than another social experiment.

Thank you for being you.