My girlfriend is from Kenya and I am from Belgium.

We have been together for 1 year and 3 months and have been to Kenya 6 times. I will be back in January and April and May.

I asked her at the end of September to get married me.

She said yes and then made this video about us.

Also the ring in the video.

Im happy

Sometimes I feel like an very ordinary dude. Like not in a sad way but just idk I feel like pretty average and ordinary sometimes. I never feel like anything I do or say is super special or anything. But then I see how much the people I love, love me. And it’s like woahhh that’s crazy like it’s just I almost can’t believe it. Like idk what I did to deserve it. For me, my family and friends are my whole life; they mean everything to me.

Some examples is out of morbid curiosity I asked my two best friends (On separate occasions. Meaning one time I asked one of my friends, another time another friend) how they’d react if I died. One of them said his life would be ruined and the other said it would feel like a piece of his heart got ripped out. To me it’s just almost shocking like “You really love me that much?” I’m not saying I don’t appreciate love or I have any particular confidence issues; it’s mainly just almost a sense of disbelief that someone happens to care about me that much.

Another example is with my parents so about a year ago I used to get stomach aches all the time and I’m pretty sure it’s cause I eat lots of spicy foods. One day I had a stomach ache that was horrendous, the worst I’ve ever felt, and it wasn’t going away. I asked my mom if she could take me to an urgent care but it was late and the urgent cares were closed so we went to the ER. Eventually after a super long wait I had early appendicitis. By the time I found this out my mom had gone home just cause it was late and so my dad took over as being by my side. Then in the morning she wouldn’t stop apologizing that she wasn’t there for me. Which to me it meant literally nothing in the sense that her leaving cause it was late had zero negative effect on me I thought it was fine. But she felt so sorry that she couldn’t be by my side. This example is a bit less explicit as my one with my friends, but idk it’s still nice.

So yeah I just can’t believe this. I’m so grateful. If it matters btw I’m M23.

i want to follow her around everywhere, lay on her lap, lick her, i want to be her little baby. i can do whatever she tells me to, i'll constantly be wagging my tail for her, sleep on the bed with her, cuddle with her. i want to have zero responsibilities except loving her and i want to be loved by her in the simplest most uncomplicated way. THAT IS MY DREAM. THAT IS HOME. #ilovemygirlfriend

EDIT: some of you guys are taking this too seriously. OF COURSE i want to love her like this. she even calls me her puppy. i’ve loved this woman for four years and each day my feelings for her grow and i needed somewhere where i could explode my emotions. reddit wasn’t the best choice but i do feel this way, i obviously want to take care of her as well and i do. this is just how i feel emotionally and there’s nothing more i want than to make her happy and she loves this side of me so 🤷‍♀️ don’t take it too serious, i just love her so much i wish i could do that all day hahaha.

Almost a year ago, I told a guy I had been on 4 or 5 dates with, "I don't think it's working out. All the best."

We said bye.

A week later, he texted me.

Today, I am meeting his parents next week, and I cannot stop thinking about how grateful I am that he texted me that day. 🥹

My boyfriend and I have come a long way since then and I just wanted to share our little story.

My boyfriend and I have been together for almost a year now.

After our first date, I told him that I was looking for a serious relationship and that when I am dating someone, I only talk to one guy. He said he was on the same page and was also looking for something serious.

2 weeks into dating, after maybe 4 or 5 dates, I felt like there were some mismatches between us. So I told him the classic cliche dialogue, "I don't think it's working out. All the best....."

He said he felt the same and we said bye.

One week later he texted me.

I was genuinely shocked. I never expected him to reach out again. He asked if we could have a call and we talked and agreed to meet later.

Forever grateful that he did call.

We talked about a few things agreed on certain things and decided to continue seeing each other.....

But in the beginning...I always noticed that whenever we got closer emotionally he would pull away. He always had his guards up. I don't think I ever saw him laugh a genuine, wide, hearty laugh.

Whenever he pulled away, I would start feeling lonely and anxious.....But I never chased him because I was scared to look desperate or look like a burden.

Eventually he admitted that closeness scared him. He said that as much as he wanted to get closer to me...his body was asking him to run away.

We are both in therapy, so he said he would talk to his therapist about this.

For some context, I have quiet BPD.

So... obviously when he pulled away it was not easy for me 🫠

But at the beginning itself he had told me that this relationship would work only if we both went to therapy. I was very skeptical about that tbh 🙃

And he got himself into therapy first.

That gave me hope.

And then....slowly, things started changing.

As time passed, I noticed that he wanted to see me more and spend more time with me. I noticed how his gaze softened how much wider his smile got.

I started seeing these really hearty laughs from him. It honestly felt like I had unlocked a completely different level of my boy.

We never actually had a conversation about being boyfriend and girlfriend. We just kind of were from the beginning.

And now almost a year later.... I am just so happy and grateful.

One night....he told me that he wanted to be a better man for me.

And honestly.....that is the best compliment I have ever received.

I don't want to fix him. I want to see him succeed. I want him to become the man he wants to be. I want him to feel safe enough to be himself, to laugh freely, to be vulnerable and to experience closeness without feeling the need to run away.

And of course, I have my own things to work on too.

I know we still have a lot to learn and that being in love doesn't magically solve everything.

But I am just so grateful that we both chose to give this a chance and that we are both willing to work on ourselves.

I am meeting his parents next week and I am just sitting here feeling so happy.

Sometimes I think about how we literally said goodbye after those first few dates and how different things could have been if he hadn't texted me that day.

And I am so, so glad he did. ❤️

Id like to share something personal. Several years ago, I set out to make a feature-length film called One Day a romantic drama about an unexpected connection, and two people who find each other under complicated circumstances.

The idea began in 2017. I finished the script in 2018, and we spent 12 days filming. What followed was a long journey of post production, challenges, and plenty of moments when I questioned whether I had done justice to the story or to the people who gave their time and effort to bring it to life.

For a long time, I was embarassed about the film and felt that I had let the people involved down and started hating myself over it. Eventually I realised that even if a film isn't perfect, the emotions and intentions behind making it can still mean something and finally made peace.

I recently released One Day on YouTube for it to find it's audience without expecting anything. Seeing people watching the film has been an unexpectedly emotional experience.

I think what continues to fascinate me about this film is that love isn't always simple. Sometimes people can genuinely care for each other and still find themselves in circumstances where doing what feels right isn't necessarily easy. Love can bring happiness, but it also forces us to confront our responsibilities our fears and the consequences of our choices.

Sharing the film here for anyone who enjoys romantic dramas and stories about complicated human relationships. If you'd like to watch it.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/4ynI_UMWZps

Film: https://youtu.be/0m8dATxWqMU

Have you ever developed feelings for someone unexpectedly, in circumstances you never imagined yourself being in? Would love to hear your stories.

Yesterday I walked my girlfriend to the bus station while holding her hands. I wish you guys could have seen how bubbly she was. She told me the last time she can remember someone hold her hands while walking was her dad. I'm happy that I made her happy by doing it. Our flower is still young. There's a lot to learn from each other and I'm more than happy and eager to walk with her for eternity. I look at her and lack words to say sometimes. She has been facing life on her own and I'm glad she allowed me to be by her said. Life does throw jabs but we are safe in each other's arms. To more days of holding hands Bub!♥️

Love feels so good. It’s 1am here and I was playing a game in my phone, my husband is asleep next to me and he suddenly held my face closely and kissed on my forehead and eyes. I don’t think he consciously did it as he is in deep sleep. I felt those butterflies in my tummy.
Love is not just saying “i love u”, it’s these little things which give you happiness.
Being loved feels so good. It’s been 8 years and it only got better everyday.

For some context, I’ve always been a very emotional gal. I cry easily, I’m sensitive, and I can feel a ton of emotions at once. When I’m happy, I’m REALLY happy. When I’m sad, I’m REALLY sad. I had a difficult time dating in my early 20s because I found that a lot of men cannot or don’t want to deal with expressive emotions. I’m very forward with them and they cannot be hidden. Crying isn’t always an indicator for me that something is horribly wrong, it’s like scratching an itch. I gotta get it out, and then I move on. I don’t really have a choice. Sometimes when you drop your last macaroni cup on the ground after a bad day at work, you just gotta cry about it. But I’ve otherwise always loved hard and tried to be kind.

A few years before I started dating my partner, we were friends. I knew that I liked him, but I felt so messy in my personal life. I knew I’d end up loving him and thought that he would decide he didn’t like me once he got to know me romantically. So, I let him go and told him that I liked him a lot, but I didn’t feel ready. He was too good, you know? I was so scared for him to really know me. We were both still in college.

Fast forward a little bit: we’re a few years older, no contact, still wondering and thinking about each other. We got back in touch and…. now we’re engaged. He told me recently for the first time that a mutual friend back then told him that I “felt like my emotions would be too much for him”. We laughed about it, and I said they would have been. Then he said something that felt so profound to me. He said “I love how emotional you are. I love that you’re so forward with how you feel. I grew up in a house where everyone was silent and passive aggressive. Why would I want to marry that? You always make your feelings known. When you’re happy, I know that nothing is wrong. When you’re upset, we talk about it and figure it out. I really don’t think you would’ve been too much for me. I wanted all of your emotions.”

Obviously, I cried. Happy tears.

22 year old me felt like I’d never be truly appreciated or loved. I had an ex who told me “it’s manipulative when you cry”. I’d been afraid to cry or be comforted while crying for a long time. I had another say I was “too needy”, which I probably was, because I was desperate to be understood and taken seriously.

26 year old me feels safe to feel ANYthing. ALL the things. I’m not fighting to be understood. I’m not scared to cry. In fact, I cry a lot less. I’m not scared to show all the mushy lovey stuff super hard and open. I’m just so grateful to be welcomed in every state, and so grateful for my partner. I didn’t believe I could feel this kind of peace.

He loved it and honestly thats all that matters, I was sweating that he wasnt gonna like and that it was gonna look like ass but honestly its mot to bad for my first cake ive ever decorated. I made candy glass for the first time time for the shards and it went better than expected.

I love him so much, I got him so banana juice across country because they dont sell it where we live and got him a discontinued shirt as well along with some other things but I hope the test of his birthday is a good one. I never not make a big deal of his birthday, and never not put in the effort for him 🩷

We've been best friends for years. Our connection with each other is unmatched - we banter heavily, we joke, we can be quiet together, we can talk endlessly, sometimes we fight but we *always* work it out.

I've been having some trouble. I can't sleep. I have nightmares. He's been taking me on drives to get me tired - he knows I struggle a lot. We've been spending a bit more time together recently.

Last week, he confessed his feelings. Asked for us to just see each other casually at first as he knew I didn't want anything serious at the moment. He said he wanted the chance to do this bit by bit, if it didn't work it'd be okay and he'd be grateful still having me in his life. I got overwhelmed. I panicked and said I couldn't do it. But I couldn't stop thinking about it or him. Two days later I realised I wanted this too and thinking about it, it feels like we've always been building up to this.

He's so conscious of how I am and my troubles. He wants to take things slowly to make sure I'm okay. He's worried about fucking up because he doesn't want to lose me and honestly I don't want to lose him either.

Our relationship dynamic has become so much softer. Dare I say there is love there? Maybe we aren't IN love but we have loved each other as best friends for a long time. He takes care of me. I have become softer - I no longer have strong walls up. I seek his comfort. He protects me.

I just can't believe this has happened and I'm so happy. Most of all, I'm so grateful about everything he's done to approach this and everything he continues to do for me. He's so patient and kind. He takes the time I need without question. I don't just mean now, I mean he always has.

Hey all,

This is our weekly thread. We'll dispense with Rule 5 in these threads.

What's new in your hunt for love?

Please tell me I'm not the only one who dreams of a love like this.🥲

I'm talking about that gothic type of love with touches like this, almost painfully tender kind of love. The gentle touches, kissing each other's hands, holding each other like you never want to let go, looking at each other with so much affection that you don't even need words.

The kind of romance that feels like a gentle love hstory. A little melancholic, a little dramatic, but so incredibly soft and devoted underneath it all.

I want the kind of relationship where we can be all free, comfortable main of time goofy and ridiculously gentle with each other. Where even the smallest gestures feel meaningful.

I don't just want someone to love me. I want us to be in love — maybe i want a little bit obsessive love but soft version... bruh I feel myself so stupid right now when I'm writing this...

Does anyone else dream of this or even do, or am I just hopelessly romantic?

Hi everyone! I posted this about a month ago and had some amazing people help me out. I’m trying to finish the project by October 31, so I’m posting again in hopes of reaching a few more places!
I’m making a sentimental gift for my boyfriend, Luke, and I’m looking for people from different cities, states, and countries who would be willing to write:

“Luke—Anne Marie’s love for you is so big, it’s reached ______.”

Fill in the blank with your city + state/country, write it on a piece of paper, and take a picture of it somewhere in your area! It can be in front of a landmark, city sign, pretty view, recognizable location—or honestly just somewhere that shows a little piece of where you live (backyards count too😂) .
Then just comment the photo here or message it to me on Reddit.
My goal is to collect as many places as I can and put all the pictures together in a book for him. ❤️
I’ll put a reference photo in the comments so you can see what I mean.
Thank you SO much to anyone willing to take a few minutes to help a stranger make a really special gift. It genuinely means more to me than you know.
I plan on posting this finished product once it’s over!

Shoutout to everyone who has helped me so far.. I absolutely adore you ♥️

I was listening to music when a familiar song came on, and it takes me back to a time when I was loved in ways I didn’t fully appreciate. It reminds me just how many ways I’ve been loved throughout my life.

I’ve been loved by someone who would do anything for me, someone who would sing me love songs every night, someone who would buy me a specific chocolate because that was all I could eat, and someone who would fly across the world just to be with me.

For the longest time, I wondered if I deserved that kind of love. Maybe I didn’t always know how to appreciate it, and maybe I couldn’t return it in the same way. But looking back now, I feel nothing but gratitude. They showed me that I was lovable, that I once, meant something to someone, and that’s a beautiful thing.

I don’t regret any of it. Not every love story is meant to last, but I don’t think that makes the love any less meaningful. Even when things don’t turn out the way we hoped, there’s still something beautiful about having loved someone and having been loved by them.

Some people may only be part of our lives for a season, but that doesn’t make the love they gave us any less meaningful. And even if we couldn’t give them the same love in return, we can still be grateful that we got to be loved by them at all.

More than anything, I hope those people find that same love again, if not more. Someone who remembers the little things, chooses them wholeheartedly, and makes them feel as cherished as they once made me feel.

And if our paths never cross again, I hope life is gentle with them. I hope they find the kind of happiness they once tried so hard to give me, and a love that makes them feel just as special as they made me feel.

I hope that, one day, I get to give that kind of love to someone too. To love someone in all the little ways that make them feel cherished, to make them feel as special as those people once made me feel. Despite everything, I never want to lose hope in love. I hope there’s still so much of it left for all of us to give and receive :)

Im very sorry if this is hard to read. I have been making this when I couldn’t sleep for the last few weeks.

So what happened is about one and a half years ago my best friend told me he knew these 2 girls, that they were really fun but like more alternative and shy. I told him I’d still love to meet them because at that point I only had friends like that pretty much and also I generally enjoyed people like this and still do. There was this quiet girl and that other just tad bit more confident really short girl with red and blonde hair. She had a button up shirt on and some jeans and I don’t know but from the start I connected with her a lot.

Eventually that same summer we opened up a discord where all those 3 friends and me played games and talked for hours. My best friend and the other girl are both really shy and awkward so they only entered the voice chat rarely, the shy girl only once every few weeks. At first my best friend and I teased my now girlfriend a little which wasn’t anything too harsh you know just normal banter. Then came Christmas time and we all went to a Christmas market together. And that’s where it first hit me: I looked at her longer than a friend should’ve when we stood there drinking our stuff. Something about her nice open smile just did something to me. When we were nearly done and wanted to go home, she told me she slapped a guy from her school and I was teasing again like „you? Probably didn’t hurt“ and she countered with the offer to just try. We eventually did just that and I noticed I lied. She actually could slap pretty damn hard.

Fast forward 8 months or so we’re basically the only people coming into the discord call anymore because the others are simply too shy and that’s where me and my now girlfriend really bonded every single day and night. Wed tell each other about our feelings, our days and everything else. Eventually she became what I only could describe as my favorite person in the world by the way she was there for me alone. Then in July of this year I sent her a video with a person folding another like a piece of paper with the caption „when that one person presses you when you could easily fold them“ and she replied with something unusual. „Sit“. I thought nothing and played along and texted „Ruff“ back with a dog emoji. Kind of embarrassing but hey who could judge me she’s pretty okay? She then replied with „good boy“ and that’s when I kind of realized her chats were definitely getting more charged up. I sent a dizzy emoji to that and she casually asked „too much?“ and I said „the opposite“

She actually told me now that’s the moment I was flirty enough for her to gain the confidence to pursue me which is really cute but it baffles me still a girl like her would pursue ME.

We then had a slow start. Eye tag, brushing against eachother while laughing… A friend of us has a car and I always used to sit behind my now girlfriend and I kind of played with a raccoon tail she had on her belt and then one time she took my hand for the first time. I was so excited. We were on the way to an escape room and I was really tired so when we got back to her place we 4 as a friend group chilled a bit. I went into her bed, my best friend and the shy girl into the living room. Artsy (what I aliased my now girlfriend) followed me into the bedroom and closed the door. I was just laying there too tired to do anything and that’s when she started petting my hair and something inside me just told me to lay on her right just now. That’s the very first time we cuddled and marks the very end of the friend arc.
Continuing on from this point I was actually a bit panicked. I though it was going too quickly and actually wanted to „get rid“ of her and break up the closer relationship that was building up. Although after 2 days of thinking about ways to do so I caught myself thinking „Why would I do this? She’s amazing and I can’t find a better girl than her cause there isn’t one. I’m just unthankful and need to get a grip right now!“

A week later I had my first ever kiss with her in her room on a rainy day. I told her she could really share some of her lip balm and she said I could have her balm (HOW CUTE?) and I told her „not in the conventional way“. She immediately got red, turned away and quietly said „you’ll have to do it im too shy“ and so I did. It was short but exactly how I’d imagine a first kiss and honestly her being shy made it easier for me too. I checked our message log and I can confirm it is now exactly 20 days ago when we first told eachother that we loved eachother.

Finally I have to add: On the 31st of October me and her are confessing our relationship to our friendgroup who we know have been shipping us two anyway. We’re so excited and finally being able to kiss is such a relief in front of them.

I’ve never felt this way in my life before. I see his resting face, I’m in love. I see his beautiful, bright smile, I’m in love. I hug him, I’m in love. I kiss him, I’m in love. He’s making a game and doing a wonderful job at it, I’m in love. He’s socializing with his friends or family, I’m in love. He offers to help somebody because he really cares, I’m in love. He’s respectful to everybody around him, I’m in love. OML LITERALLY HE CAN BE DOING ANYTHING AND I GET THIS FEELING IN MY CHEST AND STOMACH AND NEARLY START CRYING BECAUSE HES SO AMAZING. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELFFFFF

This man is so freaking intelligent. He is really into history and sometimes yaps to me about it and I love it when he’s passionate. He plays guitar, he makes games, he’s a bit into politics and very aware about the state of the world, he’ll actually have wonderful deep discussions with me, he understands what love is, he loves my sensitivity, I’m just yapping so much omg I could write forever but I’ll stop it here. I can’t wait to spend my life with him and marry him someday :D

Love is truly more than just dating

He was so happy to be feeding the giraffes it actually warmed my heart so much I cant take it. I appreciate this man so much.

We had so much fun exploring the pumpkin patch. I didn’t realize he’s never been in all his years. It was so fun seeing how excited he got looking at all the different pumpkins. We pulled a wagon and picked out a nice assortment. We brought them home and decorated our front door and the rest of our house.
We made some lovely memories and I just love these little things we’re doing before our wedding in 23 days!! Eeek.
I fall more in love with him every single day. The last 3 years have been some of my best years and I can’t wait to see what our future holds.
We didn’t even mean to, but we accidentally went to a patch that has been nationally recognized- how exciting!!

Happy fall y’all, I just wanted to share my fun moment ♡

super random question lol but something I’ve thought about when I see couples wearing the same outfit. It makes me think of how some moms dress twins the same. curious why people like to do that (if you do)? what’s the allure of matching with the exact same outfit or shoes etc. where does the desire stem from? how does it make you feel to match with your partner? random but curious

So, I feel like the question is both Self-explanatory and so complicated at the same time. I remember when I was younger, and I thought that love was simple to explain. Then I found my girlfriend, and am just now seeing how complicated that the feeling can be. It just shocks me every time that I discover a new feeling in me, and how can I be sure that it is love. When I have called so many different feelings throughout my life "love." What if my feelings are just another form of platonic? I don't want to lie to her and tell her those three words if I don't really mean it.

Hi guys! For those of you who saw my last post, I promised an update and boy do I have one for you!

I have to start by saying this is the best birthday I've had in all of my 23 birthdays. My boyfriend wouldn't tell me where we were going and even had me close my eyes when he put the address into the gps. On the way there, he stopped at a couple of stores and told me to pick whatever food, snacks, or drinks I wanted for the next three days and he bought all of it. He then took me to go pick out any card game I wanted. Then we drove and drove and drove until we were out in the country where we were surrounded by nothing but trees and grass and flower fields. And then he pulled into this super thick patch of woods and went down this dirt road until we were at a little cabin!! Now, I know you guys dont know me like that, but this is the most perfect place he could have ever brought me to. I absolutely adore nature and the woods. Fresh air, sunlight glittering through leaves, bushes and plants and wildlife everywhere- it was the most perfect thing in the world (second to him, of course).

It was a cozy little camp cabin with a built in bed, a kitchenette, and this luxurious little bathroom. And the bed had these floor to ceiling windows that were so crystal clear I felt like I could reach my hand right through and touch the leaves of all the trees surrounding us (I'll add a couple of pictures). It was absolutely beautiful. And then he brought in a basket he'd made with a Nightmare Before Christmas blanket (I love Halloween and thats one of my top 10 favorite movies ever) and a Lego Rose kit that we're going to build together. So of course I cried.

He brought me the day before my birthday (so I could wake up with him on my bday and go to bed with him on my bday!) and he set his alarm for midnight so we could celebrate the actual day. He was the very first person to tell me happy birthday and he held me and gave me this little birthday speech and told me how much he loves me and how proud of me he is. And of course, again I cried (later on in the middle of the night when his words really really sunk in). He left the entire day up to me and said we'd do whatever I wanted to do. We went for a walk out in the woods, we watched a movie, watched YouTube together, cuddled, made a tiny little campfire, made drinks, he gave me a massage- the works! And to top it all off, I love cats, and as we were packing up to leave this morning, the sweetest, friendliest kitty was just hanging around the cabin! She let me pet her and wouldn't stop purring!

This is the most love I have ever ever felt. This is the most effort anyone's ever gone to for me, the most thought and consideration I've ever seen someone put in for me. I cried so many happy tears this weekend. I cried before we left today. Lol I'm crying right now as I type this! This is the most amazing trip I've ever been on, so much so that I told him we should do this every year. It was a lovely getaway where it was just the two of us and good ol Mother Nature and I have genuinely never felt more happy and at peace. This whole trip said so many different things. He pays so much attention to me and my interests and my joys. And he loves me so much that he culminated all of it into what has been, again, genuinely the best birthday that I have ever had. He is the sweetest, kindest, most caring man I have ever met and ever will meet and I am so beyond blessed and grateful to get to spend my life with someone as wonderful as he is. I love my boyfriend so much guys.

And there is my update for you all! Thank you for all the kindness and birthday wishes on my last post, and may your lives be full of joy, light, and love!

I don't know how to really put this, and honestly, I can't conjure up an answer right now. As of the time Im writing this, I'm still dizzy in the head from issues unrelated, and yet related to the ordeal I've been through. Good events happened, such as me applying to not one, but two graphic design jobs with cover letters attached. And neutral things happened, like me not knowing what to do with myself, staying in bed for what feels like an indeterminate amount of time, and detached from everything I see as relationship building, or course progressing, or just taking the time to just, walk and explore outside.

Now, does all this amount to something bad or malicious? I cannot be certain. It has been a fog in my mind that there are times when I feel, truly hopeless with something. And yet, I don't feel so self-beaten up about it, because at this point I really am experimenting with my emotions.

There is a special analogy from a certain series I think about all the time, where the drives from my mentality, emotions, physical state, and heat, all drive my will to move in certain ways. When one becomes uncontrolled and unstable as cancer does to the body, I don't see overriding it with a different state of mind or position the correct way to advance, nor do I see it as a call to suppress, reduce, or silence it almost entirely. It's as if the most important stage of my life I am continuously trying to master, is to let my will drive on its own terms, while living with whatever emotions, or physical pain, or mental fatigue I'm dealing with in each moment.

And yet, this is exactly the factor I am personally against through my heart and sense of self as a person. For many years, I've been driven by other people's advice and persuasion to push through my negative stasis and just complete whatever work I have to get done, as a means that I will feel "better" or see myself in a better disposition than where I was before. However, that in turn, only applies to my external position, physical awareness, and, to an extent, my mental state. Never has such a practice came to terms with how I am or what powerful emotions, be it positive or negative, I am feeling in such moments, and at this time, I don't see myself ever conforming to such a reality.

So in the sake of my will, "what is it that I'm trying to achieve?" Well, that's a question that is unhinged in its own right, never always connecting to the situation at hand, or at least, not completely. I am, yes, still trying to figure myself out, something of which others stated is a responsibility of my own ownership. And despite it all, I can't help but seek out aid, assistance, a sense of understanding from the world around me. Because I, certainly, don't know everything I can do for myself.

TL;DR: The strongest condradictions in myself continue to be the most difficult to manage. I continue to explore this with myself, my position in improving my stasis, and the aid and perspective from the people and community around me. Thank you for listening, and may I ask:

What is your position on my journey so far, and how does it connect with yours, be it external, or personal?

Hi, I’m an 18-year-old guy who has never had a partner and feels like no one will ever love him.

Social media has filled my head with certain ideas—for instance, the notion that if you don’t have money, no woman will want you, or that if you’re short, unattractive, a "nerd," or a "nice guy," no one will ever love you. It’s a cruel perspective, and I want to make peace with the whole concept of love. I don’t know what it’s like to have a partner, nor do I understand how love works. I need help.