It’s been so long since I first questioned myself that. I think it was around the time I heard the song which goes, “Are you gonna stay with the one who loves you or are you going back to the one you love?” by Glen Frey. And right now, I got my answer… finally.

THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU… That is my answer.

Do I need to explain? Okay, let me try. For years, my Barks kept debating which really is which. These were the times, more often than not, when we’ve had too much alcohol to function… or discern between what’s legal or not. Hehe. Over the summer, there were those times when we were wide awake and sober while we talked about this topic over coffee in the afternoons. But it just hit me recently that THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU is my choice. Why? For these simple reasons, IMHO:

1. The one who loves you won’t hurt you.


2. The one who loves you will love you like no one else.


3. The one who loves you won’t take you for granted.


4. The one who loves you won’t let you down (as much as possible, anyway).


5. The one who loves you is the one worth giving all your love to.

So that’s it, boys and girls. I didn’t need to dig deeper anymore because these things are really what count for me. Gone were the days where I kept chasing (pavements?) the so-called impossible dream and the endless search for happily-ever-afters. I’m not even trying to convince myself anymore. I’m done with my illusions. I woke up to reality and realized a lot of things (and people, too) that I have taken for granted myself.

In other words, it all boils down to the one who stays — in spite of everything, even in deep shit. The one who loves you will not make you into someone you’re not, and you yourself will not change for that person. If a person truly loves you, he/she won’t get turned off with whatever it is you do. And if you do something really crazy, he/she won’t stop you, BUT he/she will do what it takes to get you back on track. That person will let you be yourself, be who you really are; and you don’t even have to try to impress him/her because if that person loves you unconditionally and completely, he/she will accept the real you.

Perhaps destiny doesn’t have to take forever. It could be serendipity for all you know! But really, enough fantasizing already and face the music. Time to get real.

⋆✌㋡ღ⋆ 陳美西