Begin Your Love Story with Friendship

My love story started with friendship.

Friendship with myself, that is.

Most people would talk about how to find love and how to make it last forever, but people rarely talk about who they are before the love story began. No one has taken the time to look at where those people with wonderful relationship came from. We mostly talk about what's happening inside a love story, but I guess it's time we talk about the pre-production stage and see how loving our own "single" self makes us suitable to be a loving partner.

Before I had my first boyfriend, all I know about romantic love is the imagination set to me by the embellished words of Elizabeth Browning and Shakespeare. I had my first boyfriend ~~at the late age~~ at the ripe age of 22 (I am happy to admit I am still with the same man now that I am 28 years old.) While some of my friends are getting married at that age, or maybe they have collected few boyfriends already, I was just starting to know what real relationship with a man truly is.

It didn't bother me that I was a 22-year-old NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth). What I clearly remember is that I was such a contented, happy, single gal. I had high hopes for a romantic love, but it was never something I searched for just to make me complete. I think, lines from romantic movies saying "You complete me" is an exaggeration. No one will complete you; it is you who will complete your own self.

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I believe that true love story starts with loving yourself... and loving myself I did... and still doing.

I believe that when a person has so much love in his/her heart, he/she has a lot of love to give. When a person is complete, he/she knows how to give love to someone and he/she is open to receive love. In this way, the bond of romantic relationship with another soul is stronger than any poet can ever define.

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I honestly feel that the reason why my relationship today is still strong is because I was a strong single person when I started this whole relationship. Being happy with my own self contributed a lot to my capacity to love another person with depth and such commitment. I never took another person to be responsible for my own happiness. Until now that I am with the man for years, I still find ways on how to know and love myself.

So, if you are going to ask me how to find great love, I would advice for you to start with loving yourself and romance will follow. Always begin your love story with friendship... friendship with yourself, that is.

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