Fairytales, love songs, movies and books will have us believe that finding The One is life's very purpose. That one has to either play the White Knight or wait for one to arrive. That this is the path to Happily Ever After.
Or, that somewhere on this planet of 8 billion (plus the seven souls on the International Space Station) is one's soulmate. That there's one for everyone, just one. And that you'll find each other only if it's Meant To Be.
Bored already? All-or-nothing sounds like the worst lottery, ever.
We're flipping the script this Valentine's season. It's not about the finding of love, but celebrating the kind of love that's just right for you. Is your love the mushy type? Or are you turned off by hearts, Cupid and grand gestures? Are you suspicious of all-consuming love? Or are you excited by the romance of everyday life?
How do you fit in to the new sizing? Let Namit Das, Rytasha Rathore and Nikhil Taneja show you how to make space for just the kind of love you need.
A little bit of love
with Rytasha Rathore
"For a long time, I, too, felt that someone was going to 'complete me'," says the 30-year-old actor and content creator. "That doesn't always work."
Even hoping to find the perfect-in-every-way spouse puts too much pressure on anyone, even someone who already loves you. "With our generation, I don't know how much equality, love and respect there is in relationships," she says.
Love for her then, is not an arrow, but a circle, encompassing strong friendships, family and a wider net of people, instead of just the spouse-and-two-kids arrangement. How do you build that? In bits and pieces. In smaller doses. You show up for those you care about: the date, the best friends, the colleague in need, the relative you never thought you'd bond with.
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