All humans have a common ground: the desire to be loved. No one, despite what they might say, wants to be alone. We weren't meant to be, and we shouldn't settle for it. However, there may be reasons why we think or feel that being alone is easier or how we're meant to live.

Companionship is so important, but it can be difficult for some people. I personally feel like I would rather shove a firey hot branding iron down my throat before letting someone know everything about me and be that exposed. It's hard to do, but it is so necessary. We walk around carrying so much with us and knowing we have people to rely on and that we are not alone can make such a difference in our lives and overall happiness. Intimacy and being vulnerable with people is very underrated and sometimes underappreciated.

It's so much easier to put up walls between us and the people around us. Using humor as a defense mechanism, shying away from physical contact, and even just staying quiet in hopes of not being seen are all ways we avoid making connections with others. They're our fallbacks, but they shouldn't always be. We should find ways to be open, and in turn, gain confidence in who we are and what we stand for. Being vulnerable is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength.

Though not everyone in the world will be super close to you and relate on a deeper level, there will be some people you meet who you do bond with. I am fortunate enough to still be best friends with my best friend from kindergarten. She is my rock. We've experienced everything together and through many stages of our lives: childhood, pre-teen years, teenage years, and now our twenties. Even though she spends most of the year going to school 693 miles away from Purdue, she has always been the closest person to me. She knows what I'm thinking before I think it, and I trust her with my life. I believe in soul mates, not just in a romantic way, but in a friendship kind of way, and that's what we have.

You'll never meet your friend soul mate, or any kind of soul mate for that matter if you're so guarded. Let your walls come down and have love in your life.