BY LAURA MOSES
You can listen to love songs, you can watch movies about epic romances, and you can hear stories from your friends about their relationships, but there’s nothing quite like the real thing. We learn about life through trial and error and there are some love lessons you learn through experience that couldn’t be learned any other way. Even if you’ve heard the phrases “timing is everything” or “you’re better off alone,” they might not ring true until you experience them. Of course that doesn’t mean you have to be on the sinking Titanic, trapped by a beast in a castle, or kiss your long-lost lover in the rain to know what being in love feels like!
A friend of mine says relationships happen either for a reason or a season, meaning that there’s a specific lesson for you to learn or this person is in your life while you’re going through a particular phase. Part of dating, being in love, and having relationships is learning about yourself. While heartbreak, arguments, and breakups are horrible, no good, very bad things that can happen to you, they’re not pointless. Experience is how we grow, so read on below for seven love lessons you’ve gotta see to believe.
Time Heals All Wounds
When you’re in the thick of hearbreak it might seem like nothing will make you feel better — not even retail therapy, wine, or more wine. But the old saying is true and time does heal (almost) all wounds. Of course every breakup is different, but one commonality of dealing with loss and grief is that the only way to get past it is to go through it. Not even Waze can find a shortcut to getting over heartbreak. And while it might seem like you’ll never feel better or want to date ever again, there is light at the end of the tunnel and you will get to the other side… eventually. Of course, you don’t need to suffer through it alone — therapy is an option that can help you process your heartbreak and grief.
Reality Bites
Sometimes a person might seem absolutely ideal for you on paper, they check all your boxes, and you two seem like the perfect couple. But just because someone’s personality résumé is stellar doesn’t mean they’re right for you. If you feel like everything is just fine but not great, you can’t force the relationship to improve. No matter how hard you try, you can’t force real love to spark where there just isn’t a connection.
Love Isn’t Enough
This seems like a major bummer, but it’s true — love isn’t all you need to have a happy relationship. If you love someone madly but they aren’t good for you, the relationship won’t work. If they treat you poorly, or have self-destructive habits, no matter how much you love them, you won’t thrive in the relationship. It’s tempting to think that if you just have love, the other issues in your relationship will eventually sort themselves out, but some problems just can’t be solved, no matter how much love you throw at them. Read More