Whether we know it at the time or not until way later when we walk by a trash can that reminds us of our ex, every relationship forms us. From the casual hook-up buddy to the one night stand man who shared his life views while you two drunkenly scarfed down pizza, we grew. And sure, the opposite sex will always be hard to decode, but the chances we take at trying to crack it can only be beneficial.
1. Your High School Love
Even though him and I ended terribly and by no means are we friends on any social media platform and the urge to stalk him isn’t even there, he wasn’t such a bad dude. He taught me some key things that I tend to forget when dating now. For example, how it’s important to build a solid friendship first. No brainer right? But how many of us jump into relationships because we’re bored or we’re comfortable or we don’t think we can do better? That’s what I thought. Which is making me realize now that sometimes the best relationships come from the people we’ve been friends with for awhile.
2. The College Fling
I say fling because most of us don’t go off marrying this guy. Unless you’re only in college to get your Mrs. degree. But this guy teaches us how to put up with bullshit and drunk assholes. A fine art to master. You get to see guys puking on themselves, using the streets as their bathroom, chanting ridiculous anthems with their bros, spraying their dirty laundry with cologne, being broke as hell but still buying beer, and only having one job: getting to class on time. You also learn that sometimes things are out of your control, but you need to learn to relax and chill. Don’t chill every fucking day, but try to remain calm about deadlines and things that are out of your hands.
3. The One Night Stand
This guy will break your fairy tale ending mindset and give you a little tough skin. I just wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be- no. You learn from your one night stand that not every guy is trying to wife you or jump into something serious. You also learn how to read men more. You start to notice their true intentions by their actions and words.
4. The First Serious Boyfriend
Finally. You finally meet a nice fucking dude. He isn’t like the guys from your past at all. He takes you on nice dates (at appropriate times not some 11 p.m. meet for drinks crap), introduces you to his friends and family, “asks to go steady” as my dad says, and even gets comfortable enough to invite you to play Grand Theft Auto with him and his friends. You learn that there are guys out there who want to be with you and actually have manners. He also shows you the traits and characteristics that you want to find in your forever man.
5. The Rebound
Of course something will happen where you end up in heartache and your self-esteem is lower than the temperature in the North Pole. And in walks your rebound man, transition man, whatever you’d like to call him. Not only does he boost your confidence, but he reminds you that their are still plenty of great guys you haven’t met yet. And to not let one guy bring you all the fucking way down. It’s usually known by the both of you that you will not end up in a relationship together, but he almost revives you for a time until you meet the one you need.