Life, Love, and the Truth about Happiness (How CLICHE does that sound?!)

So, again I lapsed into laziness and neglected my blog. Reason #378 why Laura should never have children, I tend to neglect things. Over the past several months, my ideas and opinions have changed a bit. As a woman, my life has been greatly effected by the Republican War on Women (yes, it is the REPUBLICAN War). Now, I prefer to keep a distance from politics, like a 36 1/2 inch pole, but it's hard not to talk about things like anti-women in the US. Anyways....
I'm also ending my junior at college, and life is going a little bit crazy. I have one more year and then no more excuses, no more laziness, no more lounging around and napping. Sometimes I think about it and I want to cry, I think I won't be able to do it. I won't be able to make it on my own. Then I think, that yes, I can do it. I can survive. I've fought for everything in my life and I definitely won't stop now. But that's not why I'm writing tonight.
My fickle self is always changing and evolving, adapting to the individual I'm becoming. I find that I enjoy talking with people, I enjoy listening and loving and helping. I think by changing my blog to someplace where I can express myself and enjoy the virtual company of others (humans are social creatures you know) I can help myself grow even more. I will keep the previous posts up, just so I can look back and see the giant leap between the two, but also to remind myself of the person I'm becoming.

I'm writing about relationships. I've been in a relationship with the same man for almost three years. This may come as a surprise to some people, because these people are saying "yeah, and?" or "So?"
well, this relationship still is a wonder to me sometimes because of the lovely family life I come from. My parents are divorced and can barely stand the sight of each other. My grandparents fought constantly, and I practically lived with them. The sob story goes on. But this isn't about the past, and I have no reason to mope over it. I'm talking about the future and the experiences I have gone through.
My relationship with my boyfriend is the most precious relationship in my life, and I put this before everything else. Yes, I love him. But this isn't the most important part of our relationship. Besides my love for him, I actually like him. Yes, like. You should never stop liking the person you love. It's important. He's my best friend. But how cliche is that? Hey, maybe it's cliche because it's true.
Communication is key. Let's expand on this. I communicate honestly with him. And he's honest with me. Sometimes I ask too much of him, ask more then he can give me. And when I realize this, when I realize that what I've asked is too much, I ask his forgiveness. And he forgives me. Why? Because we both realize what we have. Having a relationship is a blessing, it is a rare jewel glinting in pure sunlight. Be in awe of it because it's so beautiful. Love is a gifts, a gift that is eternal and wonderful and makes two people vulnerable and exposed, and bonds them in a way that cannot be done through other means. Love  is.
Experts babble incessantly, saying that 'you need to hold on tightly' but I say, don't hold on too tightly, because then you might squeeze everything out of it. But don't loose sight of it. Live your relationship. It's not an object or some academic essay your anthropology professor is making you read. It's human, physical, mental, romantic, emotional...it is everything. If it cannot be everything to you, then maybe you shouldn't be in it. Point blank, that's it. It's everything or it's nothing. If you (who ever you is) want a relationship to work, that's all you need to go into it knowing. It's is ALL or it is NOTHING. That's it.
This advice sounds so simple, doesn't it? Be honest, communicate, and give it all you got.
YET....no one seems to ever do this! I mean, those words are so simple, those actions are so simple. I say be honest with your partner, in the listener's head the words seem to morph into 'sacrifice everything and lose yourself until you resemble the Pokemon Ditto'

So then, I say, communicate with your partner. And somehow this is translated into: hold my emotions and problems inside until I turn into the Hulk and SMASH my boyfriend into tiny bloody pieces:

Shocking when relationships these days don't work out, isn't it?

Then these women, who like the above, become soulless succubi who serial date because they cannot bond with men due to their Hulk-like smashing and dull personalities, complain because they cannot maintain steady relationships and want to have the 'old couple' romance:

and then these women mope. Because they don't have this kind of romance. This kind of romance still happens today. It's everywhere. I know, I have it. I will stick by my boyfriend through thick and thin, I promise this. There will be doubters, haters, romanticists, and some people who may not even take me seriously. I don't care. Relationships are not complicated. Really. You fight, you love each other, you talk, you will be separated, you will have days when you cannot physically stand one another. But all that is perfectly alright. That's part of being in a relationship. Today, romantic relationships are all about choices, choices that weren't available before. But it is now up to those two partners to make their relationship work. For it to work, see advice above!