As almas gémeas são sobrevalorizadas, o que conta é a ligação e o esforço

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.

De qualquer forma, todos nós queríamos estar apaixonados e felizes. Sonhávamos com um Príncipe Encantado a galopar para as nossas vidas no seu cavalo branco e, de repente, tornar tudo perfeito.

Ao mesmo tempo, éramos obcecados por todos os filmes românticos. Os nossos corações derretiam-se sempre que víamos uma rapariga e um rapaz apaixonarem-se à primeira vista.

Aposto que sabes como é: Os dois chocam literalmente um com o outro. Ela deixa cair os livros, ele ajuda-a a apanhá-los e os seus olhos fixam-se.

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.

Porquê? Porque são almas gémeas. Estão destinados a ficar juntos e tudo o resto é completamente irrelevante.

Por isso, nós, tolos, queríamos o mesmo tipo de amor. De facto, pensávamos que tudo o que fosse diferente disso era um acordo com menos.

Recusámo-nos a aceitar um romance sem o fogo de artifício. Queríamos borboletas na barriga e toda a montanha-russa de emoções.

Mais de vinte anos depois, os meus melhores amigos e eu reunimo-nos de novo e lembramo-nos disto. Recordámos os nossos desejos e sonhos.

Alguma delas se transformou em realidade? Não. Alguma de nós encontrou a sua alma gémea? Não. Que triste, deves 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. E a sua relação romântica não é exceção.

It won’t magically be perfect just because you two are a match made in heaven.
E adivinha? Não há felizes para sempre.

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 facto, é aqui que começa a verdadeira luta. Uma luta para manter o seu amor, para manter a sua união firme e para se levantarem mais fortes de cada vez que caem.

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.