I Didn't Know I Needed This: The New Rules for Flirting, Feeling, and Finding Yourself—An Unfiltered Relationship Manual with Candid Insights, Embrace the Chaos of Modern Dating

by Eli Rallo

I’d always happened to life and I never let life happen to me.

What if I let people come to me, and in the meanwhile, I could happen to myself?

We all want to be loved and desired. What isn’t okay is when the want to be desired is your only want.

We all want to fast-forward to the good part, but the fact of the matter is, the right choice is to always take the bad news first.

Treat yourself right first. Shake hands with you.

And even if we no longer know each other, I don’t want to unknow the unique feeling that is my first love.

And what a gift to feel.

Don’t be someone’s cup of tea, be your own shot of tequila.

As a child, I hated my name. Every classroom I walked into from preschool to fourth grade, I was expected to be a boy.

At some point, I changed my mind. The girl named Eli had a nice ring to it. I’d never change it. Eli allowed me to be memorable without trying. To be unexpected. To show up with a talking point before I even opened my mouth. Now, I just had to figure out how to live up to the name. That, and my first word.

One day I want to have a daughter and a son. I want her to think her mom’s really fucking cool. I want him to always call home. I want them to be happy and I want them to make trouble. I want them to stand up for what’s right.