I will be the first to admit, I'm a sucker for romance and true love. I don't mean the romances such as Romeo and Juliet or Noah and Allie from "The Notebook." Those are a little too 'lovey dovey' and sugary-sweet for my taste. I'm talking about the quirky ones. The people who like to tease each other about certain things and push each other's buttons, yet are still there for their loved one when they are at their lowest. Those kind of romances show true human nature and not just 'the perfect romance,' and that is what makes them so special. I grew up watching the topsy turvy relationship of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo of I Love Lucy, laughed along with April and Andy of Parks and Recreation, and idolizing the quirky and nerdy love story of Ben Wyatt and Leslie Knope, also on Parks and Recreation. However, the relationship that I dream to have one day is like that of none other than Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly on The Office.
Pam and Jim weren't just husband and wife, they were best friends long before they went out on their first date. Sure, Jim was in love with Pam even when she was engaged to Roy for three years, but he stayed best friends with her because to him she was the one and he knew that. They were perfectly in sync with each other in almost everything, from pranking Dwight to their inside jokes to even their perfect air high-five without even having to look at each other (on more than one occasion!)
Throughout Pam's entire engagement, Jim never stopped loving Pam, even when it would have been easier for him to move on and find someone else. While he did go on to date other women, none of them would have ever been able to compare to Pam- the one who he would always love even when she rejected him.
Jim and Pam taught us so many lessons about what it means to be in a relationship. Perhaps the most important lesson they taught us is that partners should be EQUALS. Both should have their fair share of responsibilities, like a tag team in the wrestling match of life. Both made sure that neither carried more weight than they did, whether it be taking care of the insane antics around the office or both having ruined pieces of clothing to wear at their wedding.
They taught us that it's okay to be quirky and be yourself, because the right person will love your uniqueness and think it is beautiful because it is what makes you you. Jim was the jokester of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. He pulled pranks on his coworkers and pretty much admitted that he was okay with mediocrity. Pam was a quirky art geek who was slightly shy, but still willing to do anything for the coworkers she cared about. They were like yin and yang, dark and light, strawberry and banana: they complimented each other. They got along so well because they were different. If they were too similar, there would be no surprise and their story could have become bland and uninteresting. These two are dorks in their own special ways and that's what made them so relatable as a couple.
They showed us that even the best of relationships go through hard times. We felt the heartbreak they were both feeling in the later seasons as they went through their rough patches, like when Jim split half of his time in Scranton and half in Philadelphia to help start his sports marketing business, or when Jim wasn't able to make it to CeCe's ballet recital, resulting in us seeing the couple's first major fight. We even saw them talking about their experiences with marriage counseling. No matter how difficult their marriage was becoming they refused to give up on each other.They also taught us to enjoy the little things about each other, such as being able to make each other laugh, not to take each other too seriously, or that you don't have to try to impress each other all the time. You shouldn't be afraid to be silly in front of the person you love. Jim and Pam showed us that relationships should be fun and that you should never question if you are enough for the other person.
To me, Jim and Pam Halpert are the definition of 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7:
"Love is patient,
love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."
So, when you do decide to look for a soulmate, look for someone who will not just be a husband or wife. Look for someone who will be your best friend, who you can rely on no matter the circumstances. Look for the Jim to your Pam, or the Pam to your Jim. Just never let anyone think that you are just "good enough." Be with someone who thinks that you are extraordinary.
