Marisa Donnelly

Laughter. Which is often overlooked, but so very essential for a strong relationship. There needs to be moments of silliness, of finding joy in the simple things, of teasing one another, and of not taking life so seriously.

We love food. Honestly, eating is probably the highlight of our days.

In twenty years, you won’t remember that you drunkenly spent $50 on drinks on a Saturday night—you’ll remember the ugly bathroom selfies with your best friends and dancing until the sun came up.

Take pictures (and selfies!) of and with everything.

I’m terrified of touching someone whose heart isn’t intertwined with mine.

This is what the past teaches us: how we’ve grown, what we’ve learned, the people that have shaped us, and the person we’ve become. This is important.

It’s perfectly acceptable to feel like a purposeless, super anxious, weirdo right now. You don’t have all the answers, and you’re not supposed to.

We’ve all had those ‘what if’ moments, where we wrack our brains for the exact slice of time where we inevitably destroyed everything we once had. We try to wrap our head around why the person we thought was our everything ran, or hurt us, or said goodbye. But there’s one, huge thing we so often forget: Sometimes these things just happen and there’s nothing we can do about it.

Listen, this letter is for you. To know that in the future, I will love you. I will love you deeply and fully. I will be unafraid and unhesitant. I will not compare you to pain of the past, but trust that people are different, that you are different and worthy of a chance.

“It’s deeper than any substances.”

We get so caught up in this idea of true love, that we’re supposed to find it by this certain time, that it’s supposed to look a certain way, that we’ll know, beyond a doubt, what we’re doing and how things will pan out. But love isn’t like that.

Stop apologizing for who you are and just be. Be silly, be strange, be happy, be crazy, be independent, be in love, be unafraid, be nervous, be strong, be okay with leaning on someone else. Be whatever the hell you want. Be you.

See, I’m not good at dating, at small talk, at stuffy dinner dates where we skirt around the deep questions because we don’t want to scare each other off. I don’t care if I scare you off. If I can’t know who you are, then why bother sitting across the table, sharing bites of steak and sips of wine and pretending this is going somewhere when it’s not.

Life is difficult. There’s no denying that. And people need one another—for support, for love, for strength. And you? You are the type of person who provides that, willingly and openly. You are a blessing.

But sometimes you need to be your own blessing, too.

You’re constantly at a crossroads between wearing the only jeans that look good on you (aka: low-rise) or exposing your butt crack to the world. #TheStruggleIsReal

Take comfort in this: No matter where you go, what you do, the mistakes you make, how far you wander off the path, or what you try to wedge between you and God, He will never leave you.

I want a best friend. Someone I can tease, joke around with, go out with, or stay in and binge-watch Prison Break with. Someone who will give me a genuine compliment when I look my best, but will honestly tell me when I look like sh*t and need to get my butt off the couch.

Love and perfection are two different things. Love is real. Finding someone who will drive you crazy, but still make your life wonderful—that’s real.