What you thought love was going to feel like

You thought falling in love with someone was going to clue you in on some big secret of the world and that you would start to understand things in the way you were always meant to. And it did. Sort of.

You thought falling in love would make you feel safe and protected. Even when you were out with friends or hanging out by yourself at home, you’d feel like someone was always taking care of you. They were. They were thinking about you, adoring you from afar, and filling you with a sense of security.

You thought falling in love would teach you compromise and compassion. You’d learn how to fit someone else’s wants and needs into your life without it feeling like an obligation. You’d aspire to be the best version of yourself. Self-improvment is an easy thing to do when someone is always there to see you for who you really are. You thought you’d be better for having loved someone. And you were right.

You thought that love was going to make you skinnier and prettier and calmer and nicer and more accepting. You’d feel superior to your friends who were single and almost hate yourself for thinking it. You wouldn’t drink so much because you wouldn’t need to, duh, or go on Facebook or Twitter as much because hello, you’re in love. This turned out to be half true.

You thought love was going to solve all your problems and it didn’t. Sometimes it actually caused more but it was worth it. Every fight, every misunderstanding, every moment of it. You realized that it’s not love’s job to make you happy. It comes and goes. The only person you have to be happy with and truly love is yourself.