By the time I was in third grade I knew for certain that I wanted to get married, have kids and live "happily ever after". No question in my mind about that. It seemed simple enough at the time. Also I knew that there was a lot more I wanted to do in life and checking these boxes early would benefit me. So at 19 years old I got married, yes you heard that right, nineteen.
That was an adventure, but I was happy and working on my career. I thought my marriage would hold together no matter what. It was not something I was concerned about. I was more concerned with my friends, extended family, working on my impact on mankind and planet Earth. Needless to say, that marriage did not work out. At 22 years old I was devistated. This lifelong goal of marriage, family, "happily ever after" seemed so far out of reach.
This was the beginning of a new chapter for me. Being alone. At the time I didn't realize why I was alone, and why I couldn't find the right man. While I was lonely and sad, I was also taking the time to read and slowed down to understand my emotions and what my goals in life truly were. Yes I knew I still wanted a family and "happily ever after" in addition to all else I wanted to accomplish in life.
It wasn't until eight years later that I met my husband. It was so unexpected and for so many years, I wondered why and how we were together. There were things about our relationship that I didn't understand. We agreed on so many things and we aligned, but there were still some areas of misalignment. What I realized is that he does indeed "complete me". Everything that I am not, he is. Also we are both uniquely ourselves and happy as ourselves.
The only person that is going to make you happy in life, is YOU. Yes this is a hard pill to swallow, but it is the truth. Finding a partner in life means finding someone that aligns with you and strengthens who you are!
Thank you for reading!
ML, Lauren