How Does This Happen?

How does this happen?

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How can one person enter my life and so quickly become my world?

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I set up defenses to protect myself from this kind of thing. Walls of self-preservation. Bitterness toward men. Lack of trust toward humanity in general. Dedicated to avoiding public and private socializing or even casual conversation. Developed a cynical attitude toward relationships. Began to objectify men. Played with hearts with little to no remorse.

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Then he enters my life as casually as if he had always been here.

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And, my, oh, my. I was quickly swept away. I told myself repeatedly to protect myself, to stop, to just play. I tried everything to turn him away. I started new projects, visited different places, and even sought other men’s companionship to distract me, but nothing and no one meant anything compared to him. Even in a crowd, I was lonely for him.

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How does this happen when I tried so desperately to immunize myself against these feelings?

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The love songs are but echoes of what I feel for him. Poems of love are inadequate attempts at expressing sentiments that can only be felt and shared. As cool skin eagerly soaks in the warmth of the sun’s rays, my very soul is warmed and nourished by his presence.

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How does this happen? How does one person make even the most mundane sublime? How does the thought of one person make you feel like you are floating on air? How does the very name of one person become sweeter than the most melodic of tunes? How does the voice of one person become the one thing that can calm the most frantic nerves? How does one message from that one person make everything more bearable and manageable?

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How can a person always be at the forefront of your thoughts, even when you are crazy busy or dealing with urgent situations? How can you miss someone when you have just seen him or spoken to him?

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How does this happen? How can someone else’s happiness become your own so swiftly? How can life become more meaningful just because of one person? How can one person make you want to mold your life to fit more perfectly with his?

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The room is empty and quiet, yet I smile because of him. Life is difficult and uncertain, yet with him, it’s easy and without doubt. My heart was dark and empty, yet he filled it with light and joy. I had no purpose, no goals, no hope, yet he inspired me to dream, to learn, to seek.

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How does one person enter your life one day, but it’s like he has always been there? Did I ever feel this way before? What did I feel before? I thought I knew happiness, but I know it wasn’t this. What is something more than happiness? One minute without him, and my world becomes shadowed. I look forward to his presence, I long for his touch, I seek his light.

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My soul has been waiting for him. My soul knew him all along. I didn’t know what I was missing or that I was even missing anything, but now I have met the man who not only seemingly fills every void, but also electrifies, energizes, and soothes my whole being.

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How does something like this happen? How can one go from seeking and enjoying solitude to not seeing a fulfilling life without this one person? How does one go from being hard and unfeeling to elated, soft, and full of tender emotion?

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By falling in love.