a little love story

Dear Soulmate,

What if you met someone who you felt like you had known your whole life? And what if the attraction and connection was mutual? What if the conversation felt so natural that you felt inclined to immediately call them a good friend? What if you went so far as to  consider the possibility that they might be the one?

Then, after a few days together, what if they told you they were going to the farthest place possible, on the other side of the world, in a completely different hemisphere where you would not even experience the same seasons… would you follow them?

What would you do?

It is quite possible that a story like this exists, is being written and is inspired by real life. Had it been fictional, the hero and herione would still be together–at least in the same time zone.

But I wonder, dear soulmate and readers alike, has this ever happened to you? How much would you give up, how far would you go, what would you do if you knew who you wanted to be with at the end of the day?

I’ll leave these questions open as I muse over such a seemingly unconventional little love story.

Love Love, R

happily never after.

Dear Soulmate,

I remember my life before you- before I really truly believed in you. And as I look back, it appears to look a lot like settling.

I do not remember the look in his eyes before I walked away- how could I, he never took his sunglasses off. But now I realize, that there was nothing in his eyes that could even look anything like love. And last night, as I lay awake in sleepless thought, I began to think about the last time we saw one another so many months ago.

I can still hear the ocean gently lapping the rocks as the afternoon’s southwesterly breeze stirred the west bay into a frenzy of white sails, fleeting across the horizon in a race. I still remember that feeling of a complete loss of self worth when I realized, in the silence that screamed so loudly between us, that I was not worth the fight.

I was not worth getting angry, or upset over. I was not even worth so much as someone taking off their sunglasses, looking me in the eyes, and telling me I was not enough.

But little did I know that that pivotal moment, when your love hits the ground, would not be the hardest one. The days and months to come would be the time when I would realize that even still, in the age of instant communication via texts, emails and phone calls, I was not even worth an apology.

I suppose that this is where our story begins, dear soulmate. You have given me a reason to believe that I do deserve the very best. And someday I will print all these letters out and tie them together with a ribbon. And then you will know the whole story.

Love, R

laying out the hearts

Dear Soulmate,

I always thought he was attractive, in the mysterious distant way that is most easily defined as ‘ignorance is bliss.’ Though I rarely think of him outside of our weekly meetings, I will admit that he often garners my attention when we are in the same room.

And at a staff meeting yesterday, when a friend and I arrived early, he came out of his office and introduced himself to me. Although we have worked together for some time, I appreciated the formal introduction that had gone neglected for so long.

As more people arrived, we began to talk amongst ourselves, exchanging stories of life and love. My friend chimed in saying that those who are most successful in finding love are those who never intentionally look for it.

We all agreed that fate does play its cards in laying out the hearts.

And so I left the meeting feeling satisfied in the way that only good, stimulating conversation can leave you feeling. Outside the night air was alive with energy as taxis streamed down Boston’s busy streets. As I walked with my hands in my pockets in the direction of the subway station, I felt content to be alone, even as love struck couples passed me on the slippery sidewalk.

The platform of the subway station appeared empty at first. The tapping of my boots against the cement sent echoes through the tunnel walls. As I reached the edge of the platform, I began to unravel my headphones from around my iPod. I then turned to my left, and thinking that I was alone, I saw him, and only him, standing beneath the musty glow of the station’s overhead lights, waiting for the same train.

Caught off gaurd, and completely unexpecting to see him, I smiled and began to walk toward him with a confidence that even I did not recognize.

“Hey there,” I said, as I stood in front of him. He looked up to return my smile, equally surprised as I.

Love, R

p.s. if you have a story similar to this and would like to share, feel free to submit it! next week’s “your soulmate, your letter” will be chosen on Sunday and featured on Monday. How do you say ‘i love you’?

are you ready?

Dear Soulmate,

I am always intrigued when people ask others if they are ready for something, particularly love. What I find more fascinating is the response to this question.

Over Sunday morning coffee with an old friend I began to wonder, is anybody ready for love?

As the rain outside started to turn into a snowy drizzle, I sat across from my friend who argued that you have to go out looking for love if you ever hope to find it.

But I believe my odds of finding love are the same regardless if I am standing in a crowded bar or wandering alone alongside the ocean. There are no great ways to increase your chances of finding love. It finds you.

While I did not agree with my friend on many of the points he made, we did agree that timing is everything, which begs my original question, how then, can one be ready?

The most simple answer is that you can never be ready to fall in love any more than you can be ready for any of the other curve balls that life throws at you. Think for a moment how dull life would be if you were ready for most everything that came your way. You would be completely unsurprised and where there was once mystery and excitement there’s instead dullness and predictability.

That is perhaps what makes love all the more fascinating; the twists and turns, expecting the unexpected, never knowing who you will meet and when you will meet them.

To return to my friend’s argument, there is certainly logic in the rational that going out every weekend will greatly increase one’s chances of meeting someone special. But how uninteresting and mundane it would be to be to sweep someone off their feet when they see it coming.

The really great love stories are the ones you never really expected to read, in places you never really expected to find.

So then the question remains, are you ready for a good story?

Love, R

against the violet hues

Dear Soulmate,

Who am I, you ask?

I’m the one who drives with the windows down in 30 degree weather and does not mind what it does to my hair. I’m the one who sips iced coffee even when it snows. I wear flip flops all year long. I never get tired of looking at the ocean. I am fascinated with the belief that everyone has their own story, and it is beautiful in its own way.

I’m the one who believes that everybody has an eternal summer within them.

It is fair to assume from today’s wind chill that winter has finally arrived here in New England. The leaves have all been swept away from storm drains and front steps- where they clung stubbornly for weeks.  Bare tree branches sway back and forth outside my window, stark and colorless. Alas the seasons of warmth, color and light have all faded into memories of the past like photographs in a box in the attic.

Where are you? Perhaps maybe you are on a chairlift in British Columbia, with your face tilted toward the brilliant sun as your skis dangle freely against the snow covered mountain below. Perhaps you are lying on a beach, hiking a scenic trail, sitting by a fire or sleeping. Perhaps you are standing on a pier watching the moon rise against the violet hues of the evening. Perhaps it is here, in this enchanting scene, where you are reminded of me.

Wherever you are just know that I love you. With that thought, I promise that you will stay warm.

Love, R

me

Dear Soulmate,

If someone you are in love with tells you that it won’t work out, would you believe them? Would you stand back and watch her walk away, or would you try the best you could to make it work out?

I wonder these things because so many times in life we are taught to believe that challenges to relationships mean they simply won’t work out. Things like timing, distance and feelings are often variables that are not always in our control. But I was always taught to believe that if you really love someone you will try your best to make it work out against all odds.

So if you have ever been hurt, maybe there is a reason why she left you, or you walked away.

Maybe the reason is me.

I know I have revealed very little about myself. This is simply because you have not yet asked. But to answer some of your questions you may never ask: I do love the ocean. I can’t stand when people spontaneously stop walking without regard to the people behind them. I think that sunrises are beautiful. I hate being in pictures or taking pictures. I love thunderstorms.

Oh, I’m also a writer.

I cannot wait to hear your story.

All my love, R

bridges of memory county

Dear Soulmate,

They say that New Englanders begin every conversation by commenting on the weather. It is an interesting and fairly accurate observation although it is difficult to reason. Perhaps the best explanation I can provide is simply that the weather here changes so frequently, and never usually for the better, that each moment of sun and fair temperature is a call for a rewarding celebration, or at least mention.

So I begin to write to you today by sending you all the glory that this most spectacular autumn day in New England has given me thus far. It is the kind of day that makes me want to drive through the hills of Vermont just to watch the sunlight play through the colored leaves and reflect off the sparkling rivers as the water tumbles freely over rocks. I long for this kind of freedom, this kind of escape today.

This is autumn in New England at its best; its story told through winding roads and covered bridges.

I cannot wait for our two journeys to intersect. I cannot wait to explore all the roads you have taken that have led you here, to me. So I ask you to take your time, take in everything, because these are the moments that will make me smile and laugh. These are the moments that will make me fall more in love with you, because it is who you are, and the chapters of your story will be as much mine as they are yours.

All my love, R