Growing up is fun till one stumbles on a little misadventure called relationship. The real growth begins the day one is smitten by someone. The blindness and the craze of first love are inexplicable. The honeymoon period of living in the fantasy land makes one feel that this dream could never end. But as the time passes and the craze effect of hormones recedes you start seeing things for the way they are. Practicality of life seeps in and small road bumps in the course of life’s journey starts appearing as big ones.
Here’s the truth: everyone goes through this phase. This is the time for course correction. This is the time to look into the whole affair as a third person and see what lies ahead and what has been left behind.
The Silent Saboteur: Imbalance
The problem starts with imbalance of effort and understanding. This is a monster that is created, harboured and nurtured by both parties without realization. A monster that grows in strength if not timely checked and eats away the foundations on which love was based upon. For relationship to prosper and grow it requires the dedication of both the parties and if it fails both the players are to be equally blamed.
There Is No Secret Sauce
What to do when fantasy ends and life begins? How to tread the troubled waters that life has set you sailing into? How to decide whether to break or make things work? When you start asking yourself these questions it is not an indicator that love is lost, rather an indicator to show that it’s time to establish real and mature love. Time to take a step back and revisit the situation with a calm mind and see not just the faults that have been done by the other party, but also where all you went wrong.
No one has a secret potion to a perfect relationship. But people whose relationship appears perfect from the outside shows a great deal of work they must have put in to reach a level of near perfection. It is very easy to leave a sinking ship but it takes courage to mend the gaping holes. Moreover for a happy and love filled life the holes shouldn’t be fixed in a quick fix manner. Murkiness of a relationship builds over time and its fixing also needs patience.
Only a lucky few learn the easy way; for the rest, life is a journey and growth comes with adventures and misadventures which one finds on its way. Nothing comes easy and to make something worthwhile last forever requires us to put in the same effort for which that thing is worth.
📝 Journal Prompt: Reflect Before You React
Take a moment with these questions. Let them guide your next steps.
- What moments in your relationship made you feel the most understood?
- Where have things started to drift—and why?
- What would “course correction” look like if you took the first step?
💬 Have you ever reached this “fantasy meets reality” moment in your own love story? How did you deal with it? Share your thoughts below or DM me—I’d love to hear your journey.
