Mama Don’t Play That!: 10 Lessons I Learned From My Mother

8. Falling in Love is Easy, STAYING in Love is Not.

We all want to believe in fairy tales, and romantic comedies were made for people like me who want to believe that my soul mate and I will jump into a cab at the same time, gaze into each other’s eyes and fall madly in love until death do us part. But it’s a bunch of bull. Being swept off your feet is a fleeting feeling, and there is no ONE soul mate for each of us in this world. You can love many people over a lifetime, and people grow, change and love over and over again. True love and intimacy takes a LONG time to grow and develop into something strong – and it takes WORK. Ironically, the stronger a relationship becomes, the more fragile it becomes as well, because one bad choice can destroy it…in the blink of an eye. Once you fall in love, work to stay there. Sure, you’ll have bad days; you’ll fight and disagree. It’s human nature. But be mindful to nurture your union, and protect it with your life.