Heartfelt Chronicles: Love, the Right, the Wrong, and the Bullsh*t in Between

Oh, love. If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be sitting here, writing about all the dumb decisions I made in the name of “love,” I would've laughed—because, let’s be real, back then, I thought I had it all figured out. Turns out, I didn't. Not even close.

Let me take you on a journey through the roller coaster that is my love life. Buckle up, it’s going to be messy. Spoiler alert: not all of it was pretty, but hey, at least it was interesting.

The Wrong One: The “What Was I Thinking?” Phase

We all have that one person, right? The one who seemed perfect in the beginning, only to unravel like a cheap sweater the second you got to know them. That was my first "love" (not really).

Here’s what happened: I met someone who checked off all the boxes—or so I thought. Attractive? Yep. Funny? Sure, in a “trying too hard” kind of way. Smart? Well, kinda… if you count being really good at arguing over trivial things as intelligence.

But guess what? I ignored the red flags like they were a minor inconvenience. I convinced myself that love was supposed to be easy and magical—like the movies. Fast forward a few months and I was still wondering why my phone buzzed more often with passive-aggressive texts than with sweet messages. Ah, the sweet symphony of dysfunction.

The worst part? I stuck around. Why? Because I thought I could “fix” him. Like some kind of emotional repair shop, except the only thing I fixed was my own heart (and trust me, that needed some serious work).

The Right One: You Know, That Rare Breed

Now, we’re getting to the good part. The right one. The unicorn of relationships. But before you think this is all roses and sunshine, let me clear it up: the right one isn’t perfect. They’re not going to waltz in and complete you like some rom-com fantasy. Nope, they’re just right for you—flaws, baggage, and all.

When I met him, I didn’t have fireworks going off or anything. No love-at-first-sight magic. But I did feel something genuine. We didn’t rush things, and we didn’t try to make the relationship into something it wasn’t. And here’s the kicker: he was actually willing to put in the effort. No games, no pretenses, just two people figuring things out.

Was it easy? Hell no. Relationships take work. But with him, the work didn’t feel like a chore. It felt like a partnership. Mutual respect, honesty, and communication—a winning combo I’d been lacking in my past relationships.

There were moments when I’d sit back and think, “Oh, so this is what love is supposed to feel like?” And the answer? Yes. Finally. Side note: The right one has only lived in my imagination. No, really. I know he's real. As of right now, he lives on the moon. ;)

The In-Between: AKA, the Emotional Amusement Park

Here’s the thing—relationships don’t always go from “wrong” to “right” with a clean, magical transition. There’s this messy middle ground where you find yourself asking, “What the hell am I even doing?”

I’ve had my fair share of in-between relationships, where I wasn’t sure if I was dating someone, friends with benefits, or just partners in crime. The lines got blurred, and honestly, I had no clue whether I was in love or just enjoying someone’s company... and their Netflix password.

And while I loved the attention and the fun, the reality was that these in-between situations weren’t fulfilling. I’d find myself wondering if this was as good as it was going to get. It was like trying to eat a meal that was neither satisfying nor disgusting—just meh. You know, the kind of relationship that’s fine but never truly “right.”

It’s the phase where I’d ask myself, “Are we building something, or am I just buying time until someone better comes along?” Spoiler alert: most of the time, I was wasting my own time. I needed clarity, not confusion. But hey, the “in-between” taught me a lot about boundaries and knowing when to walk away—and that was its own kind of growth.

The Real Truth: Love Isn’t Always What You Think

So here’s the big reveal: love is messy. It’s not the fairy tale, and it’s not always going to look like the Pinterest-perfect image you might have in your head. But that’s the beauty of it.

The wrong relationships teach you how to spot the red flags from a mile away. The right ones show you what true connection feels like, and the in-betweens? They help you get real with yourself about what you want, need, and deserve.

And let’s be clear, you don’t have to settle for “meh.” The right one will make you feel seen, heard, and understood—even on the days when you’re wearing mismatched socks and have zero patience for drama. They’ll be the one who stays while you go through your personal growth, and vice versa.

But most importantly, you’ll learn that you are the most important person in any relationship. If you can’t love yourself first (and by love, I mean accepting your own flaws, quirks, and weirdness), then don’t expect anyone else to. That’s the first lesson I learned.

Final Thoughts: Love Is a Work in Progress

At the end of the day, love isn’t a destination. It’s a journey that will teach you more about yourself than any self-help book ever could. I’ve had my fair share of heartbreak, confusion, and frustration—but I wouldn’t change a thing. Because, here’s the reality: without the wrong relationships, I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate the right one when it comes along.

So, here’s to love—messy, complicated, and not always Instagram-worthy, but worth the ride. If you’re still looking for it (or questioning it, like I was), hang in there. It’ll happen. And when it does, it’ll be the kind of love that makes you say, “Ah, now this is what I’ve been waiting for.”