Shirin Karimi Tararani

Every time I scroll through my instagram feed, I am punched in the face with a drowning surge of glossy, perfectly photoshopped landscapes and annoyingly perfect beach bodies.

Each and every yoga session I partook in gave me a bit more of an inner-glow than the last. I was finding the gold nuggets I had been hiding inside of myself all along and that was an amazing, soul-stirring realization.

Love can hit you when you least expect it! At twenty-five years of age, I was still single and drained from my desperate attempts to force love upon myself. Serial dates galore characterized my love life. Instead of embracing my destiny and organically allowing love into my life, I tried to make love come to me when it wasn’t my time.

Moving poetry left his lips and I had become addicted to our deep, meaningful conversations. And I can’t forget to mention the rush that overtook me anytime he was around. I lost my own instincts along the way, leaving the red flags to wash over me until they no longer mattered. Our whole relationship became one giant red flag, but I was too blind to see the truth.

The list is endless and the thought of being with someone just for the sake of being with someone nauseates me, yet I was so incredibly close to doing just that.

We live one life, so why not do what makes our hearts soar and our souls rise?

Happiness is bountiful when we love ourselves and live in accordance with what our minds, bodies, and souls crave. The potential for unhappiness arises when we enter a boxing match with ourselves and become our own worst enemies.

Every so often, he shows up to remind me of his existence, especially at the times in which I believe I have finally let go of him.