THE ONE

          Most times when it doesn’t work out with that one person we gave our heart to, we lie to one another and say that he or she is not the one. We say, “If she was the one she wouldn’t have hurt me.” “If he was the one he would have stayed.” Our consolation comes with the belief that a better person is coming. It is easier to deny the truth that doesn’t favor you. They say Denial (The Nile) is just a river in Egypt.

        Our minds start to glitch when we hear that there is only one. We cannot accept that we only get one. The odious greed of the son of Adam comes into play. We would rather have many than agree that there is only one. When this kind of evasion is occurring it is usually because the one has slipped away. The one true person that we believed was made for us, is somewhere else. It doesn't make sense so we say that's not how it works.

        Dr. Seuss once wrote: “We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” Think of it this way then, how many people so far have we matched with, in weirdness?

        Truth is, connections made on the playgrounds of our childhood were far easier and faster than the ones we make as adults. The older we get the more complex our screening process becomes. The smarter we get, the faster the elimination. To find a lover in a friend whom you are not afraid to show all parts of yourself to, is not a frequent occurrence. Stars don’t align that easily. We must not be deceived that these odds will always be in our favor.

        More often than not, the one comes to us and passes by and we do not even realize it because, at the back of our minds there is this imaginary list of things we think we have to tick off. While we are busy looking in the wrong place, we forget to ask ourselves what we truly want. We are busy with a list some other flawed human made up. A list of people who are only good on paper but not good for our hearts. They may be flawless in every way except that after we have them, we are still looking. Our eyes are sill wandering, our souls are still searching.

        It may be fear, I suppose, that allows us to let them slip away. Because how could one human control even my breathing? We dance around them afraid to come close for fear of bursting into flames. And so we run away to the one we think is safe. Then comes the self-deception. “If it is meant for me it will come back.” Unfortunately you did not fall in love with a boomerang! It is madness to let something go and expect it to come back.

        One of my favorite life surprises is that the one can be literally anyone. A friend during school days like that Instagram couple. A 'lover come back' like J-Lo and Ben Affleck. It could be someone you meet long after you have settled down. Like Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Or someone else’s wife (oops) like Mark and Juliet from Love Actually. If you are lucky it may just be your life partner, like my Mama and Baba.

        Whichever way it falls, the one exists. And they are out there. And if you have found that person, you can finally breathe. Your search for the one who makes your soul sing like a siren has come to an end. What you do next is entirely up to you. Either make them yours or say goodbye and open your heart to the next best thing. It may sound like a tragedy, to say goodbye true love. But the real tragedy is never finding a heart for your heart. Isn't it nice to know, you can sleep with the knowledge that your dreams now have a face?

        How can you tell if a person is the one? I cannot answer that for everyone. Perhaps I may say that it is the person that hasn't faded away like all the others. The one you will forgive again and again without anyone asking you to. The one that moments are easiest with, the masks are gone, the conversations are endless, and the jokes are never old. The one that makes you think of forever. And if I may say so, the person that has crossed your mind as you read this.

        Have I found the one? You tell me, because I am still waiting for the day my heart will be returned to me, that is, if it ever comes back.