"I never needed someone to want meto be happy. I tell my friends not to rely onsomeone else to fill..."

“I never needed someone to want me

to be happy. I tell my friends not to rely on

someone else to fill their heart with affection

to know that they are loved. I used to always

think that I needed to be in a relationship

to someday feel complete. When I looked

at couples on the street or in the theater

pressing their mouths together I thought

that’s what happiness meant, that’s what

being in love looked like. But when my mouth

was finally against someone else’s mouth

while The Notebook was playing on the big screen

I still didn’t feel happy and I still didn’t savor

how most say true love tastes. So now

when I walk down the strip mall and see couples

hands intertwined, I don’t feel envious or lonely.

Now when I go to the theater by myself

I don’t look around to see couples in love

for an hour and a half, but I watch the movie screen

and think about how good it feels

to finally be okay sitting next to my alone.”

- "I’m taking my alone to go see a movie tonight," - Colleen Brown