Soulmates as friends
We all have different ideas of the word "soulmate." For my roommate, it’s the guy she saw on the LX bus who she fell half in love with. For my cousin, it’s the person she’s been seeing for nearly two years.
For me, it’s none of the above. When the idea of a soulmate comes to mind, it’s easy to think of it as someone I’m with romantically.
It feels like a soulmate should be the person you spend your life with forever. Instead, why can't it be someone who you just want to be in your life forever?
To say that a soulmate needs to be restricted to a romantic and physical relationship feels wrong. If I ever find a rulebook on soulmates, I’ll be sure to let you know, but until then I think it’s safe to say that soulmates don’t have to be someone you’re in love with. They can simply be someone you love.
I feel that adding the physical aspect takes away from the concept of a soulmate — it doesn’t necessarily have to be someone you know on that level. It’s merely someone who is always there to say “I see you and I understand.”
If I had to say who my soulmate is, I would say it’s my best friend.
We rant about everything that’s going wrong and call each other to make it better. We eat too many dumplings and plan to go to concerts together. We make Academy Awards predictions and curse when we’re wrong. We watch the same show from two different locations, hitting play at the same time and texting each other all our reactions. We talk about the world and the future we see it.
My best friend has helped me through panic attacks when the world feels like it’ll come crumbling down. When my mind is spinning, it grounds me to speak with someone I know I can trust and who trusts me. She is the first person I go to when just about anything happens, and I’m the same for her.
Honestly, are soulmates real?
I’m not sure they are. But I wouldn’t trade anything for the friendship I have with her, and I imagine that is what having a soulmate is supposed to feel like.
