The Evil Called Love

Let me start with a bold statement: I am not afraid of the friendzone. In fact, I’m drawn to it. The friendzone, for me, is not some dark pit of unrequited affection, nor is it the place where romantic dreams go to die. No, the friendzone is a breath of fresh air—a place where I can care for someone deeply without any need to play the games that dating so often requires. Here’s a secret: I think the friendzone gets a bad rap. Most people talk about it as a place of eternal suffering, a purgatory where affection is given, but love is never reciprocated. But I’ve come to realize that being in the friendzone is often the *opposite* of suffering; it’s freeing. It’s a place where I can be affectionate, genuine, and even vulnerable, without the constant fear of my intentions being misinterpreted. There’s an ease in knowing I can be kind, supportive, or even downright mushy with someone without having to wonder, *“Did I come on too strong?”* As someone who has often fancied herself commitment...

You know those stories about people who have been happily married for 30 years, only to attend a high school or grade school reunion and suddenly fall head over heels for their old crush? The kind of emotional tornado where they’re even considering leaving their families behind? I always thought those people were either going senile or, frankly, just losing their grip on reality. That was until it happened to me. Emotional regression is real, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. After years of being jaded about love, worn down by failed relationships, and tired of the dating game, I found myself suddenly transported back in time—emotionally, at least.  All it took was seeing the familiar face of a person I forgot about -- a guy I had an unrequited crush on. We hadn’t spoken in years, but as soon as I saw him, it was like I was 12 again, full of butterflies and awkward excitement. I didn’t expect it. I had moved on, grown up, and buried tons of memories of my early years. But seeing ...

Life is a series of uncertainties, and perhaps one of the most profound uncertainties we face is the unpredictability of our relationships. Break-ups, though often painful and emotionally taxing, offer us a valuable lesson in navigating the uncharted waters of the unknown. They teach us to appreciate, or at the very least, accept the concept of not knowing and help us realize that this ambiguity is something we can handle. In a world driven by the need for control and certainty, it's easy to forget that life is inherently uncertain. We plan meticulously, expecting every step to follow a predetermined path. Relationships, too, fall victim to this desire for predictability. We enter into them with the expectation that they will last forever, that love will always conquer all, and that the future is set in stone. But reality often has other plans. Break-ups shatter these illusions. They remind us that even the most promising relationships can unravel, leaving us in a state of emotiona...