—
"w e   a l l   e a t   l i e s  
w h e n   o u r   h e a r t s
a r e   h u n g r y ."
~ u n k n o w n
—

For as long as I can remember,
I always wanted to be in love.
You can imagine how much pain and heartbreak I have suffered
when I realized not everyone I met cared about honesty like I did.

Even when adulthood comes close, you are still learning the truth about love.
You also learn a lot about yourself.

I've come to realize that as we get older, you do love.
You love people, things, memories.
But you learn to love yourself a bit more everyday.

For example, a few months ago I used to struggle to find one thing I truly love about myself.
Now, I can list many things!

I love how I can be independent.
And even though I do want to be in love one day, I'm finding contentment in being alone and single.
I don't need a (childish) person to make me happy.

I love how I'm honest, and I can discover truth inside of people.
I can be naive but I soon learn what is real.
I've learned to see when someone isn't who they say they are, and so I have developed caution and put up walls on my heart.

Something I've learned in therapy is that I will be heartbroken, but I'll break a million more hearts than I'll ever know.
That's how valuable I am.
I'm a person worthy of having what I deserve.
And what I deserve is honest love.
I haven't found that in anyone but myself.
I've become truthful with how I feel, and I've learned to look at myself in the mirror and say:

"You're a queen and you deserve a crown."
or
"This person doesn't have to be in your life because you deserve better."

There's nothing wrong with knowing your value.

Yes, it's true you will have days when you feel like utter c-r-a-p,
but you will have more days when you feel like you rule the world.

Find those days.
Create them.

And don't allow yourself to think you deserve dishonest love from anyone.

Here's another truth—
You don't have to be in love to be happy.