1. She is both open to love and protective of her heart. She understands how amazing it can feel to fall in love. But having a close friend by her side has helped her to develop a level of self-confidence that allows her to be receptive to love while still shielding her heart from unnecessary hurt.
2. She is able to see that romantic love is just one aspect of her life. She’d love nothing more than to share her life with someone else. But she also knows that there are a lot of things she enjoys doing and people she enjoys being with outside of her significant other.
3. She understands the difference between having fair standards and being overly picky. She knows that she deserves someone who will love her, take care of her, support her, and be loyal to her. But she also knows, thanks to her own experience and from the advice of someone she dearly trusts, that she will never find every single little thing she wants in the person she falls for and having a ‘checklist’ is completely ridiculous.
4. She doesn’t isolate herself when she finds herself newly in love. Her friendships, particularly with that of her best friend, matter too much for her to put them at risk. So while it’s tempting to hibernate with someone she’s newly crazy about, she can still keep her head on her shoulders and remember that such behavior is unhealthy and only harmful down the line.
5. She knows when something is worth fighting for, and when it’s time to let go. When it’s right, she’ll give it her all. But when she is in a relationship that’s only causing hurt on one or both sides, she knows that she’s supposed to walk away, and she does.
6. She is aware of the fact that not everything about her relationship or her significant other will be perfect, and she doesn’t expect it to be. She’s capable of knocking sense into herself in terms of her expectations. And if she’s ever losing sight of rationality, her friend will always step in to smack some sense into her.
7. She knows how to read moods and figure out what someone needs. Her relationships matter more to her than anything else, and the natural state she’s in with her friendships – in which everyone looks out for one another and learns how to read one another – trickles into her romantic relationships too.
8. She knows how to deal with her own feelings of insecurity or jealousy. While it’s not her resting state, she understands that anyone in love – particularly when it’s new – can sometimes feel like they’re losing control of their own emotions. She finds it just as uncomfortable and unwelcome as any other human, but consoles herself with the notion that it’s simply something she has to work around instead of falling into it.
9. She listens. She wants the people who are important to her to feel heard, to feel acknowledged, and to know that she is always there, not just physically, but emotionally.
10. She’s aware that she’s no picnic. One of the best parts of being best friends is being able to tell each other what you really need to hear, without ripping one another’s heads off. She’s well aware of her annoying habits, her frustrating tendencies, and the fact that sometimes being with her is no walk in the park. So although she will always stand up for herself in a relationship, she also understands the perspective of the other person.
11. She understands the importance of both supporting and challenging one another in a relationship. Being able to comfort and encourage someone she cares about is important to her. But she also believes that part of true love means telling someone when they’re going too easy on themselves or failing to harness their full potential.
12. She is capable of admitting when she is the one at fault in a relationship. She’s screwed up enough times and subsequently apologized enough times to know how it works and how to do it – even if it’s particularly unpleasant.
13. She knows that a relationship isn’t her only source of emotional fulfillment. Her best friend, her parents, her siblings, her coworkers, her hobbies, her passions – rather than pulling her away from her significant other, these people and these things are only further expanding her heart.
14. She has her priorities straight. What matters most to her, at the end of the day, is that those closest to her are happy.
15. She knows how to be your best friend. She’s been doing it forever. It’s just that this time, it will be with someone she’s in love with – you. 
