“I can’t keep giving you what might be meant for someone else.” –JohnnySwim

My friend, Chalese, had a rule for herself when she was single and looking for love: every person in her life had to say yes to her potential future husband. Every. Single. Person.

That was her rule, and she ended up marrying a great guy who met that criteria.

It got me thinking about what my rule would be and I immediately came up with this: I want to be with someone I don’t have to make excuses for.

I’m not talking about perfection. At times, we will falter. We will fail someone and we will be failed by them. That’s just part of being human. But the key phrase here is “at times.” We won’t have a memory jar full of, “he’s just not a social person so he doesn’t want to hang out with my friends,” or “she had a really hard childhood which explains her poor behavior.” 

When you find yourself with the right person, you will get to brag about them, not make excuses. You will live in freedom, not fear. You will be lifted up, not brought down.

So I don’t know what rule you might have made for yourself or will make in the future. But in this case, I strongly advise against breaking the rules.

[Photo: Chalese and Drew on their wedding, December 18, 2017]