The concept of love is something etched into every culture, every species and every person’s mind. Especially every young person’s mind. The race to find love begins as soon as you enter the world. We are raised on the classics of love, whether by literature or television, on the idea of finding that one special person that you will spend your life with. But do we need to search so soon? Some start in the sandbox in elementary school, while others may start in high school. I have spent countless days dreaming of my true love who will sweep me off of my feet, and love me until the end of time.
However, as I have come to realize, dreaming about true love, and searching for true love, especially during high school, are completely different things. In high school, where everyone is trying to get a sense of who they are and exploring who they want to be, there’s not much room for long-lasting romantic love. Those who are lucky enough to experience young love, have truly lived the experience we all wished we did while watching “The Notebook.”
But it may be different for you. For some, dating in high school is pointless, or maybe you just have not found the right person. Or, if you are like me, you have other things on your mind. Every passing day instead of dreaming about true love, I dream about passing my next chemistry test. Instead of dreaming about someone to sweep me off of my feet, I dream about scoring five goals in a lacrosse game. If you are like me, you have not sworn off true love, you just want to enjoy the journey of getting there before settling down.
Most of my friends are out and about searching for their true loves, while others try to find their next stop on the road to true love. Some of my friends even have their true loves and have set dates to marry. I am ecstatically happy to hear about their adventures in the hunt for their life partners, but I cannot bring myself to envy them. In a world of talking stages and overnight FaceTime calls, I would rather spend the time I would have spent stressing over someone else: myself.
In high school, nothing that you do is set in stone, nor will it permanently brand you. In high school, you do not need to have everything figured out. Now is the time for you to make mistakes. Use this as your reminder that you do not need to fall in love in a specific time frame, nor do you need to abide by the expectations of the social media’s idea of love that is so prominent in today’s society. You should do what you want to do.
This is your reminder that you do not need to look for love, because when the time is right, love will find you. Do not trip and fall in the haste to win first place in the race to find true love, enjoy the time it takes for you to get there. There are so many things I want to do during my time on Earth, and I have the rest of my life to find my true love, and so do you.
