A Return To [Love].

I wish relationships had a preview button like iTunes, but they don’t.

So, the best we can do is equip ourselves with clarity—

what we want and what we don’t want.

Through experience, I’ve learned what I am willing to accept and what I’m not.  Here is what I have learned…

·      If I am describing the person you are with, you are dating a boy, not a man.

·      Let him go, so he can grow up.

·      Here’s a golden rule: Don’t waste your time with someone who wastes their own time.

·      Love never withholds.

·      There is nothing sexier than a man of his word.

·      Find a gentleman, because a gentleman wouldn’t have it any other way.

·      Intimacy is mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. If one of these pillars is missing, then so is the intimacy; it’s condemned.

·      Meeting your partner’s family is critical to the relationship. Observing him in his parents’ presence will instantly teach you everything you need to know about his foundation. 

·      Having a partner should make life cleaner, not dirtier.

·      Unconditional love remains present at all times. There is always a way through a disagreement or fight. It just takes both people committing to listening to one another.

·      When he does say “I love you,” it should flow. There should never be a scoreboard for love; I said it, now you say it.

·      If he cannot take responsibility for his actions or words and hold himself accountable, he is insecure and immature. It takes awareness and maturity to accept responsibility and say, “I’m sorry, and I forgive you.”

·      A relationship is made up of one team; it is not a game, and it is most certainly not a competition.

·      Once an eye roller, always an eye roller.

·      There is no room for dishonesty in love. None.

·      There is nothing more noble or honorable, than a person who works hard. It does not matter if you collect garbage, work at a grocery store or shovel shit. If you work hard you are dignified. 

·      How we treat one thing is how we treat everything. If he buys something and sells it within a short period of time, he will surely do the same with you—trade you in for a new model. No Bueno.

·      One line comes to mind, “I am not your doormat!”

·      As my friend says, “You deserve someone who believes in you more than you believe in yourself.”  

·      If he does not bring a smile to your face and to your heart every day and every time you see him, and he is not smiling back at you—move on.