Marry Me
The Love Story You Forgot to Write
This isn’t just about rings or fairy tales. It’s about the love stories we forget, the ones we walk away from, and the ones we never expected.
Two Words, A Thousand Lifetimes
Simple. Powerful. Life-changing. "Marry me" is a phrase that echoes through human history as the ultimate expression of love and commitment. It's the pinnacle of our romantic dreams, yet also one of the most terrifying requests to hear or utter.
The Fairy Tale We’re Told
Many people picture their lives like a fairy tale, imagining a life of luxury and happiness after hearing those magical words.
Meghan Markle’s story comes to mind for many. A woman, faced with societal judgments about her race and history, found herself in the arms of Prince Harry. His “Marry me” didn’t just change her life; it rewrote it. The world watched as she entered a life of castles, titles, and endless media attention. But that’s not most people’s reality.
The First Proposals
In my own life, I’ve heard "Marry me" a few times. Not from royalty or a fairy tale figure, but from unexpected places.
There was the 8-year-old boy who had no friends and a heart full of quiet longing. He saved up coins to buy a plastic ring and tried to show me he wanted forever with me. We were just kids, but in that moment, I saw a pure kind of love, untainted by the world. He never said those two words, but his actions spoke volumes.
Then, there was the woman who left a long love letter on my windshield, declaring I was her soulmate from past lives. Her words were beautiful, passionate, and yes, deeply flattering. But I knew that her love wasn’t for me, but for the kindness I had shown. It started with a simple act: helping her carry groceries in the snow. Her "Marry me" wasn’t rooted in true intimacy; it was an admiration for something deeper in me.
When the Timing Isn’t Right
Then there was the real one.
He truly saw me—not just the parts I showed to the world, but the flawed, tired, and vulnerable parts. He loved me through sleepless nights in our work studio, through laughter and vulnerability. He asked me to marry him, and I said no. Not because I didn’t care for him, but because life had not yet lined up in the way I could have imagined for us. We hadn’t even gone on a single date, but he knew me, and in that moment, I was overwhelmed by the love he offered.
The Fantasies We Build
Have you ever met someone who shines with such charisma, beauty, or prestige that you picture forever with them? The house, the children, the walks in the park—everything seems perfect in those moments. It’s easy to imagine a fairy tale when someone seems to be everything you've ever wanted. But in reality, that perfect love story isn’t always the one we end up living.
The desire to be loved unconditionally is universal, but life, with its twists and turns, can have a different plan.
The Marry Me You’ll Never Hear
There’s also that one “Marry me” that never comes. The one you long to hear from someone who never seems to see you in that light. It’s the quiet pain of wanting something that never materializes. And when it doesn’t happen, you try to move on, but the heart still holds on to that hope, and it takes time to let go of what never was.
The Broken Halves of Forever
But perhaps the most painful of all is the failed happily ever after. Half of marriages in America end in divorce, not because love wasn’t present, but because time has a cruel way of taking people down paths they never intended. People change. Priorities shift. Dreams evolve. And sometimes, even the most sincere love is swept away by forces beyond control.
The Greatest Proposal
The most important "Marry me" is not from someone else—it’s from you.
To say: “Marry me”—to your own soul.
The love story you need to embrace is the one you build with yourself. The one where you commit to loving yourself unconditionally, to accepting your flaws, your strengths, your quirks. This is the love that stays. This is the love that gives you the strength to move forward, to heal, and to grow, no matter where life takes you.
Because if you can love yourself through it all, then no matter who stays or who goes, you will always have a love story worth living.
Oscar Wilde once said, “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”