1 universe, 8 planets, 204 countries, 809 islands, 7 seas, 6 billion people, and I had the incredible privilege of meeting you.

It's incredible the people you meet throughout your lifetime. Sure, they come and they go... but every time you meet someone who you really come to admire and respect, who fills you with incredible memories you shared with them, in the end, it really doesn't matter how or why they went. Maybe they moved, maybe they changed, maybe they passed away, or maybe you both realized you were just not suited for each other... but anyone who you have incredible memories of and with, you will always love. Whether it's romantic, or family-related, or only a love of deep friendship and/or admiration, you never forget them. In this way, they become ghosts inside of you, and that is how you keep them alive (in a personal context).

Sometimes people go, but they return... just in a different capacity. This is how it's been with all of my ex's, and how it is with anyone who is not direct family. Even with direct family, at times, this can occur, yet it is unusual and highly unlikely. Most family shares the capacity of best friends, but better, and from what I know of best friends, you are able not to see them for days, weeks, months, or years on end... but when you see them again, it's as if nothing has changed, and that mutual love, respect, and deep connection you have with them remains untainted, even if you haven't been able to communicate for a long period of time.

The key to happiness is not to dwell on the unrepeatable memories of the past, but enjoy the fact that they occurred at all, and look to make further unique memories with others around you, or whom you have yet to meet. This early in life, it's hard to know whether anybody who you are romantically involved with will stick around. That doesn't mean you should fear to date, yet that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful either. Sometimes, you just need to acknowledge the fact that, when it comes to relationships of such depth and value, there's more of a chance that it will end in failure due to the beautifully possessive nature it exerts on the mind, body, and soul. Best friends, in most cases, will stick around in some way, shape, or form, until the very end. That is why I find value in befriending previous lovers and girlfriends, unless I have ample reason not too.

A strange realization I've come too is that I have never truly been in love before until recently. It wasn't until I felt pure and real love that I realized all my previous relationships had been either a superficial love, or on the brink of real love when they blew to pieces. This doesn't mean I am not still attracted to most (if not all) of my ex's... but it does mean I was living under pleasant delusion, and/or wishful thinking.

That's my rant of realization for tonight, however. I hope everyone in the great big universe is having a better day than I am. But my days are about to get better, I can feel it.