More then ever, it could be argued that we live in a Hollywood generation. And as a result, our notions about love and relationships tend to be skewed to the realities (or lack thereof) of that world and its production of fantasies. What that boils down to is this: somewhere along the line, we may have fallen sucker to the fairytales and lost sight of the realities and myths of love and relationships.
Love and relationships are work
They really, really are. Hollywood tends to promote the notion that when it’s right, things will just fall into place. That would be great if it were true but real love and keeping it alive for years, boils down to a choice you make every day. That choice is to invest what you have – emotionally, physically, mentally – into your partner and the health of your relationship.
Love happens at first sight
Sometimes and maybe. But more often than not, love happens over time and over shared experiences. Generally, people fall into love as they discover more about the person and what makes them tick. Rarely do you get that much insight off the bat with barely a word exchanged between the two of you.
Family and outside influences matter
It would be a wondrous thing if we could turn off the outside world when we needed to or when it was convenient to. However, in the absence of the on / off switch, outside influences eventually do play a factor is your relationship. This is true whether that be family, work, friends and travel or other related interests. It takes times to learn to balance all of the life stuff with maintaining a healthy and stable relationship.
Sometimes it just doesn’t work
You took the risk, you jumped in and you both gave it your best shot. The Hollywood reel in your head probably tells you that’s enough and leaves you wondering, well, why didn’t it work then? Sometimes, it just doesn’t no matter how much you may care for the person. It could be timing or something else, but the bottom line, as painful as it is, is that sometimes it just plain ol’ doesn’t work, which is always a tough pill to swallow.
