Would You Settle For Less?

In '97, when I was going through a tough time watching my mother die of cancer, many revelations came to me about life, love and happiness. I watched my dad's unwavering devotion to her on a daily basis and realized that if I were in my mom's place I had no one who cared for me in that way. Neither of them had 'settled' for less, they expected and had the best. I realized I had spent most of my adult life short-changing myself, rationalizing the choices of partners I'd made, but had my eyes opened during this time. It was at this point I decided that no matter how long it took, I'd never settle for less again.... Since the beginning of time it has been the inherent nature of man to begin his lifelong quest in search of that perfect mate, or soulmate, so to speak. However, too many times along the path we become distracted and stumble, seemingly getting caught up in the superficial. We "oooooooooo" and "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"as if watching a Fourth of July fireworks display, eventually fading into it’s wake and leaving our soul engulfed in loneliness. These are the times we ‘settle.’ We try desperately to make it work, yet feel the gnawing deep down,suppressing it until it fights it’s way to the surface like a volcanic eruption, and we realize that out there somewhere lies the closest thing to Utopia we can find on earth. If one is lucky enough they will find this person. The one that surrounds their being and calms their soul like a gentle free flowing mountain stream. The one that creates beauty in kaleidoscopic glory, constantly changing and growing, yet held firm by the sameness of the shapes. We must dig deep into our souls and realize there is a natural order to life and once discovered and acted upon, only then will we find true happiness.