You know that feeling when you've found the right person, but the timing couldn’t be any worse? That feeling of butterflies that float around your stomach, yet your head is telling you "no." You can’t stop thinking of this person. It’s a weird feeling, something you know won’t go away. You can’t fight it, yet you know that nothing will ever happen.

That’s when you know you’ve found the right person at the wrong time.

It’s kind of awful but also kind of amazing. You found a person who completes you 100 percent. Someone who makes you laugh until you cry, someone who will stay up until 4 a.m. watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians, because you really can’t stop watching, or someone who’s willing to drop everything for a late night Whataburger run.

But this person walked into your life at the wrong time. You find a reason to avoid them. They find a reason to avoid you. Another relationship, the feelings aren’t mutual, a tragedy occurred recently, you aren’t ready to make that kind of commitment, and so on. Regardless of the reason, you know that it’s not something that will come to you in your near future.

I’ll be honest with you: it sucks more than you can imagine.

It’s never easy to realize that you’ve found something so real, so complete, only to know that it will never be something that’s a part of your life permanently. That’s life. People will come and go. They will leave lasting impressions that shape who you are. You will create memories with people that will stay with you for the rest of your life. They turn into stories you tell your children someday.

But this isn’t a reason to give up on your life. You have everything to look forward to. You don’t need this person to continue on. You are strong without them. You will meet new people, make new memories, and create a life where this person left only a small footprint.

Maybe one day you will cross paths with this person again. You will reconnect after years of disconnect. Maybe it was meant to be, and the second time around will be the right time. But even if it doesn’t work out that way, you know that this person shaped your life and gave you the best time of your life. They taught you what you wanted and what you didn’t. They taught you the value of laughing because you’re truly happy. They taught you what it means to be in love. They gave you hope for the future, even if that’s not what you were looking for.

So maybe the right person wasn’t at the wrong time. Maybe the right person landed in your life at the right time. Maybe they were there to teach you a lesson, to love you all the right ways, and to give you hope.

Either way, shout out to you for being the person I made memories with, the person I loved, and the person that was there for me. You’ll always be the right person.