Ever since I was a little girl, my all-time favorite love story has always been that of my mom and dad. Although they were both in their late 30's and living perfectly content lives - my mom raising my older brother, Ricky, and my dad following his dreams as a musician - fate brought them together when Ricky enrolled in saxophone lessons at the school where my father happened to teach. From there, my parents describe their first encounter as the type of magical moment that is usually portrayed in fairytales; the attraction was instantaneous and even dangerous to their professional relationship - so much so, that my mom withdrew my brother from lessons on account of her strong feelings. All the same, those strong feelings brought my mom and Ricky back to that destined saxophone teacher, inspired my dad to ask the single mother out on a date, and eventually began a lifelong love that led to happy marriage, as well as the birth of me and my younger sister.
After seeing the bliss that my parents share after 22+ years together, I've come to believe that soulmates exist. It may have taken my mom and dad a while to find one another, but it's plain to see that their hearts were made for no one else but each other. Furthermore, because their love has always been so strong, my life growing up was one full of happy memories, belly laughs, and unending support. I was shown that love could overcome anything, and because of my parents, I was excited to someday feel a connection with someone as strong and as secure as theirs. In the same way that I aspired to go to college and to become an English teacher, finding my soulmate was another dream that I longed to fulfill. After all, who wouldn't want to feel safe and loved by one special person for their rest of their life?
That being said, I began to date at quite a young age and always hoped that my relationships would magically lead to that lifetime of unequivocal happiness. Although I had yet to experience that fairytale moment of instantaneous certainty like my parents once did, I pushed to embellish even my worst relationships as the type of love that I longed to feel. As a result of my eager pursuit, I found myself trapped in an abusive relationship by my senior year of high school, blinded by own misled optimism into thinking that I could somehow make things better over time. Unfortunately, my unending hope paired with my partner's angry indifference caused this particular relationship to fall apart destructively, and as I navigated the confusion and heartache, I began to slowly believe that something was wrong with me. Although I was young, I felt defeated - that is, until I inadvertently met the guy who would put those fears to rest.
As I recall, it was an average afternoon towards the end of my senior year when I was waking the hallways with my little sister. As I walked to her left, one of her long-time friends joined to her right, and we continued together down the hall until my sister ducked out from between us to run into her classroom. Both myself and her friend turned to find that where she once stood, it was now just me and him. And as our eyes met for the first time regardless of having grown up together, I immediately felt at home. His face was so familiar - as if I had known him for a lifetime - and I instantly felt at rest regardless of the previous turmoil in my heart. In that moment, I knew that I would love that boy forever, and every single day since then has proven that instinct to be true. We both graduated high school and took separate paths toward our life goals; I moved away to college while he shipped off to join the military. But regardless of the distance and hardships, our love continues to thrive three years later. He was more than a high school sweetheart. He is my soulmate. And not a day goes by that he doesn't spoil me with the same love and happiness that I see in my mom and dad.
That all being said, it's important to realize that true, healthy love still exists in an age that glorifies friends with benefits, hook ups, and having both "side" and "main" partners. Although such mindsets may seem frustrating and hopeless to romantics such as myself, love can take root when you least expect it and with a person who you never saw coming. In my case, I grew up alongside a guy who would one day heal my soul even though we unintentionally avoided each other until the end of high school. Evidently, a future that you can't even imagine is set in place and will unfold in the predetermined way that is destined to happen.
