To say that I was obsessed with Disney Princess movies as a little girl is an understatement. I can confidently say that I would watch The Little Mermaid at least three times a week on DVD (crazy right?). Like Ariel who found Prince Eric, I believed that someday, if I wished hard enough, I would meet my prince charming. And man, was I wrong.
I had always hoped to be asked to homecoming by my crush but would end up being the one helping them plan how to ask someone else. I thought my best guy friend would fall for me like I did but I would end up getting friend-zoned. For a split second, I also thought I would end up with my best friend’s brother. Being a hopeless romantic in the 21st century is definitely not the most ideal for a girl who has high expectations for love. Unfortunately for me, I never gave up after getting hurt by countless endeavors and continued to keep my expectations high.
Something I have realized about myself is that I tend to give everyone I meet the benefit of the doubt until they prove themselves to be bad for me, and even then I’ll continue to forgive them and give them second, third, and even fourth chances. This has its pros and cons for sure, but eventually people catch on and take advantage.
I will never forget my first major heartbreak. It was the summer going into 8th grade and my mom had put me in a summer camp ran by the county. That’s where I met this boy, who we’ll call Tony. I immediately fell for him; he was charismatic, sweet, and of course all the other girls had a crush on him too. But just my luck, he ended up liking me back and it was the sweetest and most innocent thing. We would hold hands under the table at lunch and hangout in the same friend group; I was absolutely head-over-heels for him.
But all good things must come to an end and this was the summer that 13-year-old Andrea went through her first heartbreak when she saw the guy she had an overwhelming crush on kiss her friend while watching the sequel to her favorite movie (it was Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again, in case you were curious). I spent the rest of the summer after camp had ended listening to “Angel Eyes” from the movie soundtrack over and over again completely distraught over Tony. I know it may sound a little silly but he was genuinely the first guy I ever truly had feelings for.
From then on, I started being more cautious about who I opened up my heart to. Even though I was protecting myself, I sabotaged potential healthy relationships and hurt others just because I was scared of getting hurt again. I also found myself putting the blame on the other person for why it didn’t work. Either they were too clingy, not clingy enough, didn’t want a serious relationship; the list goes on and on. But eventually, I came to terms that maybe the other people weren’t the “problem” and I was.
The best thing for me at this point, was to take time to reflect on what I wanted for myself. Ultimately, it was the most beneficial thing for my well-being because I gave myself time to build up my self-love and confidence.
This might sound clichƩ but right when I least expected it, I met my sweet, loving boyfriend (shoutout to him! He is awesome). I was in no way looking for a relationship when I first started talking to him; in fact I had warded off all sorts of romance but this relationship has been one of the best unexpected moments I have ever experienced. I am so glad that we met at the time we did because we both had time before meeting each other to grow so that when the universe deemed it time for us, we were at the right point in our lives for a healthy and nurturing relationship.
For those out there who are reading this and rolling their eyes because they are sick of hearing “just be patient and it’ll happen”, I was in your shoes once too. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and trust, your person will come at just the right time for you and them.