Relationship Goals

by Christina C. Jones

He was tall, dark chocolate, broad-shouldered, neo-soul song worthy fine,

“Go to lunch and then ride his face bitch, or I’m throwing your shit on the curb,”

“We all have flaws, and we all have mess to deal with. But it doesn’t make us worthless, or worth any less.”

survived something meant to destroy me – I can’t squander this second chance by living a life that is beneath my standing.

When you come to me, you come correct. I demand it. And you should do the same. How different could our world be if we – lovingly – challenged each other to do, and be better, instead of accepting scraps?”

“But you know what you’ll never regret? Not compromising yourself.”

Don’t be so rigid that you leave no room for simple human error.

There’s no shame in changing your mind when something is antithetical to your happiness.

“I have sickle cell disease.”

Let the other person know where you stand, so they can decide for themselves if they want to stand with you.

Women bore the physical and emotional load in imbalanced, inequitable relationships way too often for me to think ill of those who exercised their choice not to, when presented with it up front.

For you to learn what you like and don’t like, will or won’t accept, can and can’t do, for you to hurt, and heal. Practice.

Hurt people, hurt people, and I ended up in the line of fire.

Feelings didn’t care about how long it had been – they were what they were.

I still had a lot of life to live, still a ways to go, but I’d chosen a great story so far. I’d taken the risk – I’d kissed the stranger.