I’ve noticed something about my age group, they are searching so hard for love. They’re wishing and dreaming it to be that perfect relationship where you’re so in love and everything is just that, perfect. They will find the nearest and quickest opportunity to be in a relationship that they force something that isn’t there and finds themselves miserable and wondering what went wrong. While they search for that love, they aren’t letting love come to them.

In order to get the real experience for love, you have to go through certain things first. You have to have your first love. Your first love makes you feel like you can take on the world. Makes you feel like the sun rises for you. Your first love makes you question anything anyone has ever told you about heartbreak. Until they break your heart. Your first love isn’t supposed to be your last for a reason, if that was the case, they would just be called your love.

No, your first love is supposed to give you a quick glance at what love is supposed to be and how happy you should feel. It’s also supposed to teach you lessons about being in a real relationship. Without your first love, you would never know that you can’t be with someone who doesn’t appreciate family time as much as you do. Or that love isn’t meant to be spent watching the same Netflix series and listening to each other talk about the same 2 episodes.

Then there’s the heartbreaker. The one you fall in love with, knowing you’re gonna get your heart ripped out. We all know them. The person that makes you think you’re in love when you know you’re not. This is the relationship that makes you realize that you have to see past people’s exteriors. This is the one that you cry over for months and months and spend a lot of time wondering what you did wrong. This is the one that makes you question yourself.

Sounds horrible right? It is.

This is the one that helps you discover who you are. Without the heartbreaker, you wouldn’t know how much you are truly capable of. The one that really pushes you to do better once they’re gone.

After the heartbreaker, you’re then introduced to the rush. The rush is the one that gets your blood pumping, everything is an adventure with them. They make you feel like you could climb every mountain and overturn any obstacle. They give you the adrenaline to run a marathon and make you feel invincible. This is the relationship that makes you think they’re the one. In fact, you’ll feel so brainwashed into thinking they’re the one for you, that you will do everything and anything to keep them from leaving.

Anything they ask of you, you do. They’ll say "jump," you’ll ask "how high." This is the love that your family and friends can’t stand. They see what that person is doing to you and they can’t do a thing to stop it. You’ll be with this one and fight for this one until, out of nowhere, reality smacks you in the face and you wonder what you let happen to your life. This will leave you with a new love for not only your life but yourself. This relationship brings you to finally see who you really are.

Without those relationships, you can’t really be ready for love. You need the experiences, you need the lessons. Without them, you’re left with a constant wonder. You’re insecure without them. While each of those relationships hurts in the end, it brings you to the person who you’re meant to be with.

It will bring you to the one that makes you feel like you could take on the world. The one who will encourage you, the one who will not only support you, but push you to reach the stars. It brings you to the love that wants nothing but the best for you. The one that wants your dreams to become a reality. Without the darkness, you can’t see the stars. Without all the meaningless love, you can’t find what is true.

Love will find you, but they will find you when you’re ready. It’s not going to be some letter in the mail telling you it’s gonna happen this week. You will know you’re ready, when you’re ready. Stop rushing, stop searching and let your time clock work it’s magic.