Growing up watching every Nancy Meyers romantic comedy, I have often found myself choreographing my own happy-moments montages, applying soundtracks to my emotions, and hoping that my current love interest will execute some grandiose, romantic gesture. Basically, I wish my life was a rom-com. And can you blame me? There's love, laughter, and the conflict is solved in under 100 minutes.
Of course, I'm not silly enough to truly expect my life to reflect rom-coms (but if any cute guys wants to organize a flash mob in Grand Central Station like in Friends With Benefits, I won't complain...), but they've definitely have had me thinking about love. Especially with yesterday being Valentine's Day. Confession time: this is my first Valentine's Day being single in five years. WHAT? I'm only 21 years-old! Clearly, romantic love has been a priority for me for the past five years, probably because of all those rom-coms. You would think yesterday would have been hard for me to get through, but I can sincerely say it wasn't. Sure, it was weird to not bake brownies or write a wonderfully cheesy card, but I've found out that my idea of love has grown and expanded, which is why I didn't drown myself in chocolate ice cream and The Notebook.
My realization that my idea of love has expanded came the day before Valentine's Day, when I worked the front desk at Ballet Austin. Like I have for the past year and a half of working there, I found myself listening to stories of 8th grade girls and their love predicaments. Things like the stressful task of giving your crush a Valentine, or slow-dancing with a boy for the first time. I mean, do y'all remember how exciting it was to bobble around in a circle to some R&B slow jam? (It was Usher and Alicia Key's "My Boo" for me!) It was so nice to reminisce on the simpler times as they recounted their stories. I remember at the time, slow dancing, hand holding, and just talking on the phone elicited a feeling of being loved. As we've gotten older, clearly the feeling of being loved has become more intimate, with losing virginities and planning futures together. Then, after the break-up with my boyfriend last semester, my idea of love expanded even more. I thought I wouldn't feel loved for a while, but it was quite the opposite! My mom and my close friends showed me where the love was (I have to remember to tell the Black Eyed Peas next time I talk to them), and they were there for me whenever I needed them. That's when I realized that rom-coms don't have to always end with the girl getting the guy that she was mad at a mere 17 minutes ago. Love in real life is scary and awesome, and isn't only manifested through romance. It can be felt through your mom listening to you cry on the phone for the 100th time, laughing about embarrassing moments with your best friend, or even dancing the wobble with your friends in your living room on Valentine's Day. And cue: "This Will Be An Everlasting Love" by Natalie Cole, because everyone knows a good rom-com ends with a scene of dancing to that song.
xx
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