Las almas gemelas están sobrevaloradas, lo que cuenta es la conexión y el esfuerzo

Ever since we were little girls, my best friends and I have dreamed about love. The four of us would get together once a month at someone’s house for a sleepover.

We’d throw a pajama party and talk about what we wanted to be when we grow up. One of us wanted to be a lawyer, another a teacher, the next a doctor, and I wanted to be a writer.

En cualquier caso, todas queríamos estar felizmente enamoradas. Soñábamos con un príncipe azul que llegara a nuestras vidas galopando en su caballo blanco y que de repente todo fuera perfecto.

Al mismo tiempo, estábamos obsesionados con todas las películas románticas. Se nos derretía el corazón cada vez que veíamos a una chica y a un chico enamorarse a primera vista.

Apuesto a que conoces el procedimiento: Los dos se chocan literalmente. A ella se le caen los libros, él la ayuda a recogerlos y sus miradas se cruzan.

Time stops and in that exact moment, they just know that this is it. They realize they’ve been searching for each other throughout eternity.

Whatever happens from that moment on doesn’t really matter. Yes, they go through dozens of obstacles. They need time before they end up together. But eventually they do have their happily ever after.

¿Por qué? Porque son almas gemelas. Están destinados a estar juntos y todo lo demás es completamente irrelevante.

Así que, tontos de nosotros, queríamos el mismo tipo de amor. De hecho, pensábamos que todo lo que no fuera eso era conformarse con menos.

Nos negábamos a aceptar un romance sin fuegos artificiales. Queríamos mariposas revoloteando en nuestros estómagos y toda la montaña rusa de emociones.

Más de veinte años después, mis mejores amigos y yo nos reunimos de nuevo y recordamos esto. Recordamos nuestros deseos y sueños.

¿Alguna se hizo realidad? No. ¿Alguna encontró su alma gemela? No. Qué triste, debes pensar.

Well, I beg to differ. And you know why? Because soulmates are overrated. In fact, I’m not even sure they exist.

Actually, as I’m getting older, I’m more and more convinced that it’s nothing but a Hollywood fabrication – that soulmates are made up by some producer or writer who ran out of ideas to make his work interesting.

So, let’s forget about fairytales, and let’s turn to real life. You know what counts here? Effort, dedication, connection, and compatibility. These are what every healthy relationship is based on.

Moreover: These are all the things you have to work on. They don’t appear out of nowhere or fall from the sky.

For a romance to succeed, it’s not enough for some random guy on the street to knock you off your feet. It’s not enough for you to feel butterflies throwing a party in your stomach.

I’ll be honest here: Chemistry is important. However, it’s not crucial and it’s definitely not enough to build a relationship.

True love needs fighting. But I don’t mean fighting against the evil forces that try to break you two apart.

I’m referring to everyday battles that seem completely unimportant and uninteresting, yet actually matter the most.

I’m talking about fighting against your differences, against the house chores, the finances, the in-laws, the kids who refuse to listen, and a host of other seemingly trivial things.

You see, there’s a lot of effort that goes into making any relationship work. Y su relación sentimental no es una excepción.

It won’t magically be perfect just because you two are a match made in heaven.
¿Y adivina qué? No hay felices para siempre.

When the movie ends and the two protagonists kiss at the altar, you think that this is it – their battles are over and they’ll have the rest of their lives just to enjoy their love. Well, the truth is quite the opposite.

De hecho, aquí es donde comienza la verdadera lucha. Una lucha por mantener su amor, por mantener firme su unión y por levantarse con más fuerza cada vez que caen.

A struggle that lasts a lifetime. Only when you win this war will you understand that what counts is finding your forever person – not your soulmate.