They say when you’re in love, you see butterflies and rainbows—you see your loved one as your world, the reason for your existence. You think you can surpass all the trials that life will hurl at you as long as you’re together and you feel like everything has finally fallen into its proper place—at last, you can say your life is complete.

When you love, you give your all—because you are told that this is how it must be. They say true love is measured by the things that you can do for the sake of the one you love; that you must comply with all that they want, and make sure to give them all the attention and care that they ‘deserve’.

But what if ‘love’ doesn’t happen that way?

What if after all the sacrifices you did and all the reassuring gestures you conveyed— your feelings wouldn’t still be reciprocated by the one you gave it for? What if the love you thought was real is actually just pure imagination because you were overwhelmed by your flowing emotions coming from within, then you’ll be hurt because of the anticipation that has built up in your chest—the hope that maybe you both might feel the same way?

It’s a nightmare—it can damage even the most innocent people with the purest of hearts. It can make a kind person mad—enraged because of the heaps of “Whys” in his mind; left with questions that will forever remain unanswered because his ‘person’ chose another. It can make someone become cautious—wary of the real intentions of people getting close; afraid that if they get in, pain, heartbreaks, and lonely nights will recur.

Love doesn’t always bring smiles to people—that’s a fact, especially when the one you adore doesn’t love you back.

Love comes to those who are ready for it, not to those who think they need it.

And you should never let your past miseries become the reason for you to stop believing in love—you may rest, but you should never stop. No matter how many times your heart breaks, still, you should love. Don’t let sorrows taint your belief in love and your chance of having your happily ever after.

Yes, we don’t always end up being with the one that we love, but maybe that’s just the universe telling us that there is someone out there who are truly meant for us—that maybe, our past heartbreaks were just preparations to shape us for the impending love that is finally meant to last.