We have this idea as a society about soulmates, where we think the word ‘soulmate’ implies that the relationship between the two people has to be romantic. How can we think any differently, when we hear of people finding their soulmates online, in college, or just randomly bumped into them in a coffee shop. But I think we have got it all wrong.
I’m not saying you can’t find your soulmate with your significant other, but there needs to be a broader definition. It should not just be limited to who you are dating, but someone who gets you completely and can be called your other half. If that person happens to be your significant other, then Congrats! But for me, that person happens to be my best friend and I wouldn’t change that for anything.
“Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with.” – Candace Bushnell
By definition a soulmate is a person that has a strong kinship, and has shared values and tastes with another. My BFF and I are a textbook definition of soulmates. But it’s more than that. Spending just a couple of hours with her, driving around town and singing to Taylor Swift, makes the rest of my day ten times better. Receiving ten second Snapchats of the most random things makes me smile, as I know she’s thinking of me.
Of course there is more serious stuff that makes up our friendship. A soulmate is someone who knows all your secrets both good and bad, and despite that accepts you, flaws and all. It’s the person who will help you find yourself, when you have lost your way. A soulmate is the person that you tell everything to first, the good, the bad, even the stuff you never want anyone else to find out. They are the person you can bare your entire soul to and they’ll still accept you.
“Giving someone a piece of your soul is better than giving a piece of your heart. Because souls are eternal.” – Helen Boswell
So maybe you’ve found a soulmate in your significant other, and they complete you. Maybe they are your other half, and understand and accept you like no one else has ever before. But for me that person, my soulmate, my better half, is my best friend. I’m better for knowing her because without her, I don’t know if I would even be the same person I am today. So here’s to my number one, the Piglet to my Winnie, the sugar to my spice, my soulmate.
“A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise.” – Richard Bach