Fall In Love With A Man In A Foreign City

Find him on a social network meant for the tourists in the city. Find him at a mutual friend’s party. Find him in an opulent cafe or a chic vegan restaurant. Find him anywhere (except Tinder). Realize that no matter what, this is meant to happen. Realize, in that one moment, that you are too attracted to him and life is too short and you probably will never see him again and you cannot give this up for anything in the world. Realize that you do not care if he is seven years older than you, you don’t care if he has a girlfriend. Realize that you know can never actually have a future with him. Realize that nothing at all matters because life is too short.

Date a guy not meant for you. Disregard all your better judgement and fall in love with him.

Date a guy you know you will have to say goodbye to. Nothing is more adventurous than a relationship that has an expiration date. Nothing is sexier than doing touristy things together. Don’t label your relationship — you are above that.

Find that he has similar taste in music and that you both love avocado and that he is the only other person who appreciates Eva Green as much as you do. Muse that it is fate. Sit in an empty cafe at 4 pm on a Wednesday and watch the traffic pass by. Have long meaningful conversations about nothing at all. Have your first kiss mid-sentence. Catch him off guard, surprise him. Be unpredictable, be passionate. Be anything you want to be because soon, this will end.

Date a guy who stifles your inhibitions. Realize that he makes you want to dance in the Indian monsoon, stand naked under the Norwegian Northern Lights, scream your lungs at the Grand Canyon, and chase after the Australian ostriches. Wherever you find him, remember to let your guard down. Let him show you a part of the world you’ve never seen, from the eyes of someone who knows. Let him take you to places not marked on your guide book. Watch him talk to others in his native language and realize that it’s not his accent that melts your heart but the vast oblivion that floats around every word he says. Watch him as his phone buzzes and his expression changes. Discern that it’s his girlfriend calling. When the call ends, kiss him. Wildly, wholly, without reservation. And know in your heart that he will never be the same again.

Date a guy in a foreign city because he is nothing like anyone you have ever met before. Do it because he is exotic and learning more about him excites you. Everything about him is dreamy. Or maybe it’s just in your mind, but who cares? Maybe his deep brown eyes are just deeper in your head. The beard that you dreaded up ‘til now on any man makes him look like Himeros himself. His unkempt bed hair is probably just messier in your mind. It doesn’t matter.

Date a guy in a foreign city because the farewell will be the most bittersweet experience of your life. Let your capacity to feel so much sorrow and longing bewilder you. Date him because as he holds you close on the night before your flight and feels the utter helplessness of a premature end, he will treasure you like no man has ever before. Look into his eyes with complete and utter resignation and sigh that deep sigh that says you will miss him for the rest of your life. Feel his eyes get wet. Bury your head deep in his chest and whisper that you have fallen in love with him. Do it in his language. It’s your one last chance to surprise him. After all, no matter what your language or heritage, love is still love. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

featured image – Eat, Pray, Love

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