Believe in Love

There is a pretty awesome episode from Avatar (the TV show), where the gang has to journey through a tunnel maze with Nickelodeon's interpretation of hippies/hipsters. The Cave of Two Lovers. To get through, you must trust in love, believe in it, let it lead your way.

That has nothing to do with this post. Love does, though. Through my many years of dating I have been lifted, enlightened, taught, abused, used, loved, idolized and hurt. Only one of my relationships ended on good terms. It is partly my responsibility that they fell. But, there is hope! I see couples who work so well together, people in love who are in good relationships with good people, friends who are getting married and having children. They give me hope that love is still out there. And the thing they all have in common is equality. Mutual respect. A relationship based on mature love, push and pull, give and take, yin and yang. Working together in harmony. No secrets. Not one pursuing the other for support or attention. No wandering. No symbiosis. Standing level.

I see one friend, who has transformed from a struggling sapling into a strong tree. Very few have seen the change, but I've noticed. What a profound effect love can have on another person! This is what love is! It is dedication so pure, so genuine and so engrossing that one is unable to not become the very best versions of themselves. Seeing this change in you, friend, moves me to tears. Tears of joy, happiness, pride. You have made it possible for me to believe that a person can change for the better. You have helped the crumbling ideals of a young woman seem not so foolish, not so utterly tinted by rose.

Please invite me to your wedding.
Pretty please.