Commitment

I have only had a few relationships in my life, like most early twenty year olds. Obviously all of them had their ups and downs, and each of them had individual challenges that could either be overcome or could not. Different phases of life have their struggles that need to be faced, and each person has their own separate personality and life that they bring to the table. I have my good and bad qualities just as any person does, and I have changed a lot as a person since my very first relationship. And this is what is supposed to happen, we are supposed to grow after every experience in order to become better individuals, more able to contribute to society and another person in the long run.

Being in a relationship with another person means making a commitment to that person. I never really thought about the word "commitment" until my uncle started talking about it at dinner one night. Commitment is easy when things are smooth. You can easily say, yes I'm with this person, or yes I will do this task. But when things start to go wrong, or when you just really don't want to do something, that is when you actually need to be true to your commitment. The "for better or worse" clause in marriage isn't just there for shits and giggles. It's there because there is going to be worse, it just matters how bad the worse gets.

He discussed how in relationships, one of the reasons we find another person to share our life with is that we need someone for companionship. Every relationship needs balance. When one is weak, the other should be strong, and support the one until things get better. When both are strong, things should be great. Those are the moments that keep a relationship going. However, sometimes there are moments when both people are weak. This is when the commitment matters.

It's easy to talk about what to do when challenges happen, it's a completely different thing to actually go through with it. Things can be great one day and rough the next, but that just means that at some point after the low you'll have to go back up again. "Change is the only constant" but we can choose who we have with us when the rest of our lives are changing.

When I look at my parent's relationship I have so much love, respect, and admiration for them. They are true examples to me of how life can turn upside down, but what matters is who is there next to you. Standing with someone, even when they hurt you, because they need you and you need them is such a powerful thing.

Sorry for the ramble, I'm not even sure if any of this makes sense. I'm just kind of brain dumping on random thoughts.