Because That's What You Deserve

Love is a beautiful thing. You've heard it time and time again. Your heart flutters and it excites you to wake up every morning. You long for the evenings you can fall asleep in his arms, and wake up to the smell of his cologne. It's beautiful, it's exciting, it's emotionally gratifying. We long for it, thirst for it and fight for it. Love is amazing and a majority of us spend our lives desperately wallowing in it. 

But at what expense? Sometimes we find ourselves at the shaky end of a love gone bad. A love story that seems to be more binding than freeing; more frightening than enriching. We hang in there for bad situations and even worse stipulations because we think there's love awaiting us at the other side. We don't all love the same and it's harder for other people to open up, are the excuses we use for our treacherous situations; but we know better. 

And in case you may have forgotten, let me remind you. 

You deserve far more than the hurt and pain you've been receiving. More than the betrayal and belittling your partner has been giving you. You deserve more than being in an in-between stage with undefined expectations. You know, the you-can't-have-anyone-else-but-he-can. 

You deserve to be loved unhesitatingly. You deserve to be flooded and flaunted with love and loyalty. You deserve the "this is my woman, and I'm proud of it" love. The kind of love that'll shut down temptation before it even approaches him. The kind of love that'll never make you wonder. 

You don't deserve to be battered or bruised. Pushed to the side or hidden. You don't deserve to have your feelings ignored. You don't deserve to be silenced and shut down. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to be enlightened and awakened each day. You deserve to be nurtured and nourished. You deserve to be filled up by a man that's willing to consistently pour love into your life. You deserve to be coddled and cuddled despite the disproving comments from his friends or the disparaging stares from his family. You deserve to be made a priority and chosen. You're not a last resort. You deserve to be the one. You deserve to be committed to. You deserve to be en route to a wife, not a "friend", not a "what is this" or a "Netflix & chill". 

Love is not a game. It's not a contest. It's not a race. Love is a feeling. Love is a verb. And if you're working toward deepening your love with someone who'd prefer to stay in shallow waters, it's time to swim away. It's time to march forth. Because that's not the one who's ready and willing; and you, my love, deserve more.