Monkey Fighting Snakes

I was asked to write about romantic love and/or relationships of the romantic type. I really only have two things to say about it but I guess I'll explain those things so that this isn't short (although I will apologize for the length because more than likely it will be really long) and overly confusing.

1. Romantic love is absolutely the worst thing ever. I hate it. It tears people up like nothing else ever could. No one really understands it until they are completely thrown head first into a big swimming pool of love. Is this in any way good? No. You end up acting stupid and doing completely irrational things that you would have never contemplated in the first place. It can also come out of nowhere. Hits you like a wave -BLAM!- Than what do you do? Drown? Most people do. This option is definitely the most stupid. Why? Because then someone pulls you back to the surface. You suck in oxygen and take the love goggles off and realize how much the world sucks again. See what I'm telling you? No good at all. Suckish? Oh yes.

1.1 Relationships of the romantic type are also suckish. It doesn't matter what age you are. Everyone gets pulled into one at one point or another. They can also be the worst things ever. Especially if you aren't prepared. Teenagers are probably the worst about it though. We "fall" in and out of love so many times it's obnoxious. We could be mad crazy over one person for a year and the next day realize that they aren't they person we thought we were dreaming about and fall mad over someone else. I just think it's kind of ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, older people do it too. It's just that no one really scolds them when they screw up big time and get pregnant. They didn't "throw their life away." We're teens though, every wrong decision we make is in the long process of ending our lives. (You know you've heard some adult somewhere say it.) These relationships also tend to be fake. Oh they are very real to the people in them while they are strolling along their merry way. But we are all so finicky that I think it might be better just to make out with your best friends. JUST KIDDING. At our age we very rarely make up our minds and stick to a decision so it's less hurtful just to stay out of relationships. Why? Because they suck.

I say all that to make my second point:
2. Love is absolutely the best thing ever. But let me specify that I'm talking about real love (for fake love see answer #1). Love can be your best companion and closest friend. It can comfort you in any situation and carry you through the ones you know you can't get through by yourself. Most of the time this love doesn't come in the form we want. It doesn't come in a girlfriend or boyfriend and it doesn't come as a kiss. Sometimes this love is just a best friend saying goodnight. It's a long drive with little gas and very loud music. It's a rare smile that shows truth when usually surrounded by pretending. Romantic love can be all this wrapped up in a person. Some people search their whole lives looking for this. Some never find it. But I think we get too caught up in the "who" part of it all. When it really isn't about who at all. It's about knowing and trusting. It's about compassion. Because you should only receive and give that kind of love to a person who is your very best friend. That person should mean so much to you. You have to be close friends to even experience this love. I'm not sure whether there is someone for everyone or not. I absolutely hope there is someone for me. I'll never stop hoping that. But I refuse to settle on less than what I need. I'm not going to go through those false relationships to find what I think I need. A dear friend said that we can't help who we fall in love with, but I'd like to say that we can help who we choose to love. And chosen love (the kind you work at to become closer, that takes time) is always worth the end result.