Girls are easy.

Get your mind out of the gutter...not that kind of easy (although we all know a few that fall into that category don't we...).

Guys often say that women are too complicated. Certainly, the female species is highly complex. We tend to overanalyze, overthink, and become overly emotional on occasion. But I think that's just how God created us to be. The fairer sex.

But in terms of relationships, all girls really want is to feel special. That's it. It's that simple. All we want is to know that the guy that we like likes us back. We want to know that he thinks we're pretty. All of these things can be accomplished at no cost, simply with words and affection. Could it be any more simple?!

I wish more guys understood this. That all we want is to feel cherished. And pretty. We're really not all that complicated.

More Words.

Today on another one of my favorite blogs, non-society, Julia Allison (who I adore) is preparing to write an article for Cosmopolitan magazine about "wife fluffers," and asked readers to share their thoughts. Below is a portion of a response a reader submitted that I find fascinating, and true...

"A wife fluffer is someone who really connects with the guy they were dating. They have such a strong connection, and she is so beautiful, smart and full of sass that the guy (to his surprise) really starts thinking about settling down and having a family. He must have this fantastic woman to himself forever. When things don’t work out, and he realizes he blew the best thing that ever happened to him, that desire to settle stays with the guy and he gets scared he will be a bachelor his whole life if he doesn’t take action. He meets the next serious girl and they get engaged and married in a shorter time than the wife fluffer and him had their first fight. He marries….and then she sees him and his wife in a couple of years and they aren’t that happy….and she feels bad for them….but happy it isn’t her."

Wow.

Words.

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Love Eloise, today. I absolutely loved Eloise's explanation of love, and of the infamous passage found in 1 Corinthians chapter 13...

"Sure, love is patient. Love is kind. So am I on a good day. But here’s the reality (and I’m not being cynical): At the end of the day love is a choice. It’s not some magic power that heals all things. It’s a choice we make. Once the lust and euphoria has worn off in the relationship, love becomes a choice. Either we continue to work at it, or we don’t. It’s when we stop working at it and stop believing in it that love fails. That’s true in marriage, in relationships, and it’s true in life. There should be a clause to the end of that Bible passage: Love never fails…as long as you don’t give up on it."

I couldn't agree more.

What I Want, What I Need

I think one of the milestones of maturity is when we can realize the difference between what we want and what we need, and not just recognize the difference, but act accordingly.

Oftentimes our Hearts will want something, or someone, but our Minds know that it, or they, aren't what we really need.

I am a hopeless romantic, a dreamer. I follow my Heart to a fault. I'm often guilty of ignoring the evidence, no matter how obvious, and hoping/wishing/praying that the situation I'm in is the exception to the rule. It's not.

It is a delicate balance between what our Heart wants and what our Mind knows. If we don't follow our Heart, we are in some ways ignoring our feelings and emotions, which can lead to a stark and bleek future void of joy and expectance. If we don't follow our Mind, we ignore the cognitive evidence that can protect us from heartache down the road.

I'm guilty of ignoring what I know in my Mind to follow what I want in my Heart. I simply cannot function in that capacity any longer. I think the place where our Hearts and our Minds meet is a God-given combination of both knowledge and feeling: Intuition. From now on, I will no longer ignore that still small voice, that gut feeling. It's there for a reason.