marriage

It seemed like only a matter of time. After marriage equality was legalized by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision last June, the LGBT community both celebrated this historic victory and quietly girded its loins for the inevitable — the wave of same-sex breakups.

Hopefully you say “I love you” to your partner as often as possible. But how often do you tell them you like them? Because as much as we might take loving each other for granted, liking each other isn’t always guaranteed, and it’s rarely vocalized.

It's so easy to sit and pass judgment on why friends or family stay “trapped” in unhappy relationships. We often wonder why she hasn’t left him/her, why can't she see that she could do much better, why can't she value her self-worth, etc.

But while it may seem like the logical thing to do, for many, it’s not so simple in reality. Many complex factors come to play, and people “stick it out” for all kinds of reasons, often at a personal price.

Our culture is so preoccupied with The Other, and the obsession with falling in love with a foreigner is just another manifestation of that. But I quickly found out that falling in love with someone from another country is not all fun and glory.

I’d rather do anything than talk to cab drivers (or hair dressers, or bus seat mates or… anyone). I hate small talk. I put in my earbuds and I give short polite answers when necessary.

We all know the story about the annoying, old aunt, right? The one where she kept cackling ‘you’re next!’ at every wedding until you did the same at the next funeral?

That giddy feeling you felt during the infancy of the relationship goes away. It can be replaced by either a deep bond, or apathy.

People will only post on social media what they want the world to see. This is often to impress and seek affirmation or to simply get as many likes as they can for a cool picture! But you never know what goes on behind closed doors.