Tag: lovewins

When You Find “The One”

by Kristen Hall

“There are many forms of love, as there are moments in time.”

Jane Austin

How do you know when you find “the one”? It’s going to sound simple, yet not simple all at the same time. The cliff notes version is you just know.

Now – you are probably reading this and thinking “that is the stupidest answer I have ever heard”, but let me explain further.

There are many kinds of love in this world. Many people end up settling for what they think is “the one” because they love them…however, you can love someone and also not be meant for them.

My ex-husband and I met about twelve years ago and were together for nearly ten years. We were only eighteen when we met so we spent a good part of our early years growing up together and figuring out life. During the ten years, I definitely did love him. At the time, I thought because I loved him, he must be “the one”. I had no other life experiences to tell me otherwise. While we had our issues and there were disagreements, I was conditioned to think all couples go through this (which they do to some degree). So I would repeat – “we will get through”. In doing so, I ignored several times when I questioned if I was in the right relationship. We were slowly drifting apart and going in separate directions. Yet, giving up my wedding vows was not something I was ready to do. Toward the end our relationship, it became very unhealthy – yelling, cursing, punching walls, infidelity…you name it. Clearly us ignoring we were not meant to be was no longer working.

Did we love each other? Yes. Were we supposed to be together? No.

Staying together because you love someone is not always the answer, especially if you analyze that love and find that something feels off. If you meditate on it, quite often you will find the answer. It is important to trust your gut at this point.

When I met my current girlfriend, within that first month I knew she was the one. I know – completely crazy – especially because within the ten years I was with my husband – I was never that sure.

My love for her is completely different from the love I felt for my husband. It doesn’t mean I loved him any less – it just means I loved him differently.

There are certain signs to look for that signal the passionate kind of love you feel when you meet “the one”. That does not mean you have to end every relationship you come across because they aren’t perfect for you. But for those of you that want to settle down, get married, and start families – it is important to consider if your significant other is really the right match for you before you move to the next step.

So here are ten things that I noticed are different in my current relationship versus my last relationship:

  1. I feel more myself. I don’t have to worry about my mistakes or flaws because they are all accepted.
  2. Our goals and values align. We want the same things.
  3. She doesn’t complete me, but rather she makes me a whole person on my own and then just adds a wonderful light to it.
  4. We handle any problem or challenge in a mature way. We talk things out, we never argue.
  5. We have overcome obstacles together.
  6. Every day I wake up excited about life. I feel grateful to be alive and grateful to have her.
  7. Home is not always a place, but rather a person.
  8. I had a gut feeling she was the one.
  9. Our physical chemistry is off the charts and continues to be even years later.
  10. We are addicted to each other, but in a good way. We love being together, but also respect each other when we want to do our own thing.

I do not regret my marriage or being in a relationship with my ex-husband. But, I do regret staying longer than I should have. I was afraid to move on because I did love him and did not understand how I could just walk away from someone I loved. Then I learned, “there are many forms of love, as there are moments in time.” It was okay to love him and let him go because he was not “the one” for me.

#love #like #instagood #follow #photooftheday #happy #instagram #beautiful #photography #fashion #cute #life #art #picoftheday #family #music #style #nature #followme #smile #beauty #bhfyp #likeforlikes #travel #likes #friends #fun #instadaily #relationships #the one

My “Coming Out” Story

by Kristen Hall

“I am gay. I am straight. I am a lesbian. I am bisexual. I am trans. I AM HUMAN.”

My story is anything but ordinary, especially when it comes to my relationships and sexual orientation.

The most common question I get is, “Did you always know you were attracted to women?” The answer is quite simple – yes, and no. 😉

Growing up, I knew I was attracted to women’s bodies but – if I’m being honest – women, frankly, were annoying to me. I am a low maintenance, fun outdoorsy type. I don’t need a lot of things to make me happy. The girls I grew up with were not like that. So to me, the thought never occurred,”Oh, maybe I could be a lesbian.” I also had the longest crush on a guy for most of my schooling, so again, my sexual orientation was never a question.

During my teenage years, while I was not aware of my own identity, I supported others who were discovering themselves and would praise friends who came out. In addition, I would occasionally check out the LGBT events, but that was about as far as that went.

Then college came. Within the second week of Freshmen year, I fell for a guy, who would later become my husband. For the first year or two, things were great. Then I found out he cheated on me with my roommate, and things were never the same after. We spent ten years in an on-again, off-again relationship (I was definitely not a saint during those years, let me make that clear).

While he grew restless with our relationship, I did as well. Even before getting married, I wondered if I was doing the right thing. In this mixed up time, I was starting to wonder about my sexuality. He found it enticing at first that I could be interested in women, so I began to explore that part of me. As our issues continued to mount, he and I both realized “that part of me” grew louder – especially the more our relationship unraveled.

Fast forward to Fall 2017, I found out he cheated on me again and was browsing internet dating sites . At this point, after just having a miscarriage as well, I was mentally done and checked out of the relationship. I could not give anymore to this marriage no matter what he did to try to make it up. We began living separate lives, but we still lived together. As I described in previous posts, I overdosed on anxiety meds twice during this period of time and drank heavily to deal with the pain. It was December when I downloaded the app “Her” – a lesbian dating app. I was so annoyed at my situation and figured if he can get something from these apps, why can’t I? And a lesbian one, even better – no fucking men!

Long story short, I downloaded the app but barely used it. One – I felt guilty, and two – I wasn’t in the right place to be with anyone. On December 20th, a girl messaged me saying “hey” and asking “what I was looking for”. I think I was in one of those moods where I just didn’t care anymore so I answered and went on about my sob story. The funny thing was – she was going through an almost mirror situation. Talk about the heavens aligning.

We spent a few months talking, supporting each other as friends as we both tried to end our long-term relationships and get our lives back. The more time we spent talking, the more I realized how much I liked her. This was the first time I really felt this deep about someone since my husband – and it was a woman! At the time I was discovering my feelings for her, we never crossed that line from friends to lovers because we knew things were already dicey – but the romantic pull was strong. I liked her as a person and I was insanely attracted to her. I had a hard time comprehending this concept.

After filing for divorce, I began telling my immediate family the situation. At the time, I had no idea if things would work out between her and I, but I knew that I needed to be real with them. My brother and mom supported me wholeheartedly, but it was definitely an adjustment for them as months went on and this girl and I actually began dating. They were not used to seeing me with a female, which lead to some awkward moments to say the least. There were times I cried because I felt like if I was dating a guy it would be different. Guys and girls show affection all the time, why is it so different now that I am with a girl? I knew it would take time for everyone to adjust, so we tried to be more considerate while everyone got to know each other better. It was hard to not show how in love we were though, because – honestly – for the first time in a long time, we both were so happy. We could not hide the happiness we were feeling.

I was hoping that by the time of my mom’s wedding later that year, everyone would be more comfortable. I remember calling my Aunt in fear that my family would not accept me. She told me to calm down, that people’s views are changing and evolving. It just takes time.

By the time of the wedding, everyone had grown to love my girl and, to my surprise, my extended family was so accepting and happy for me. My mom’s cousin’s comment stands out the most – “I’m just so happy -You are happy. Your mom is happy. Mike is happy. Everyone is happy!”

Now two years later, life couldn’t be more amazing. I am still with this amazing girl and she has become a part of my family. And most importantly, I am finally at peace with myself.

So the question I’m sure everyone has on their mind, if you are “bi”, would you ever be with a guy again? The answer is “no”.

The reason? It has nothing to do with my orientation and everything to do with me finding “my person”.

When you find yourself, you know when you have found the right person for you….whether you are gay, straight, bi, queer, lesbian, trans, etc. – you will know. That person will signal those heart strings that say “GAME OVER” and sexual orientation will mean nothing -“I am gay. I am straight. I am a lesbian. I am bisexual. I am trans. I AM HUMAN” just like you.

#comingout #lgbt #gay #pride #lgbtq #loveislove #bisexual #queer #love #gaypride #lesbian #transgender #persian #instagay #asexual #lovewins #pansexual #cute #nonbinary #bi #homosexual #comingsoon #trans #pan #gayisokay #ftm #instagood #gaylove #bhfyp #love #like #instagood #follow #photooftheday #happy #beautiful #instagram #girlswholikegirls #divorce #herapp #bravery #brave #edrecovery #eatingdisorderrecovery #recovery #anorexiarecovery #anorexia #eatingdisorder #mentalhealth #edfighter #edwarrior #anarecovery #bulimiarecovery #anorexianervosarecovery #recoveryispossible #ed #intuitiveeating #bulimia #recoveryisworthit #recoverywin #food #selflove #anorexianervosa #mentalhealthawareness #haes #edfam #recoverywarrior #anorexiafighter #fearfood #bodypositive #foodfreedom #bhfyp #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #depression #selfcare #love #selflove #health #mentalillness #therapy #recovery #motivation #wellness #mindfulness #healing #ptsd #mentalhealthmatters #fitness #wellbeing #loveyourself #psychology #life #meditation #happiness #worldmentalhealthday #suicideprevention #endthestigma #inspiration #positivity