Someone once told me that if you’re going to date someone, then it should be for the long haul. It shouldn’t be something you go into thinking it will only be for a month or a year. Instead, dating should lead to love which should lead to marriage, theoretically at least. Obviously, some relationships don’t make it, no matter how much love the two people have for each other. But, if you want something to last, something that’s pure and meaningful, wouldn’t you want to go in thinking that it’s going to last forever?

Relationships are something that, over the years, have become a rarity. They are not what they once were and not yet what they will be in a few years, I’m sure. We live in a time where hook-ups and one night stands are normal, which is perfectly fine if that’s what you want. But, if it’s not, then I think it’s time that we accept that and think of it as something more than just a thing to do to pass the time.

No one likes a break up. They can be messy and long, leading to way too many tears and a lot of ice cream. They bring out the worst in us, the crazy. It takes time to get over them. So, why would we want to waste our time by falling into a pattern of dating just to break up and start the whole thing over again a month later. Instead, we need to take our time in getting to know one another. Learn the ins and outs of them, the things they like and dislike, their habits and those annoying things that they do. Rushing into things only makes you realize these things after you’re already together. What if they chew their food with their mouth open or yell in their sleep? These type of things can be deal breakers and are a lot better to know before you get so invested that you have to break up, leading to the same course of events mentioned before. One thing I know is that you have to love a person for all that they are, the good and the bad. So it’s best to know who someone is and either accept it or let them go.

Once you’ve found someone who makes you happy and perhaps doesn’t get on your last nerve, there’s still much to learn about each other. But, I know that once I looked at dating as a way to find the person I’m going to spend my life with, it made me look at things completely differently. It made me appreciate them, become more invested, and take into account my feelings more than I had been before. If you want to continue with your fun while your young and you’ve got it then disregard this now, but keep it in your back pocket. And if you’re in the dating game for real, then take this to heart and don’t take it so lightly, especially as we get older and out into the real world (shout-out to my fellow seniors). Love the relationship you’re in and if you don’t see it going the distance, then do both of yourselves a favor and end things on good terms. But, if you think this relationship has got what it takes, then always work on it and appreciate it as something more than just “that person you’re dating."