TL;DR;
I [26F] have been reflecting on my past relationships and personal standards and am beginning to question if the relationship I’m seeking is attainable. Have any of you been able to find a relationship where you had a foundation of strong friendship and understanding whilst maintaining passion and attraction?
My first serious relationship I was in for 5 years – I describe him as my platonic soul mate. We never had physical chemistry, passion, or even really attraction. But we understood each other, so deeply. He knew me better than I knew myself. I could read his language and knew exactly how he felt at any given moment, why he felt that way, and how I could fix it. He was my best friend and main support for many years. We never really made sense as a couple, but we felt safe, comfortable and secure. We broke up once we realized that we both needed more. We needed intimacy. Our friendship had faded and there was nothing left to cling to. In some ways the break up was very easy, because we never really lost that connection. The main part I grieved was giving up the family we built together, us and our 3 dogs & our future goals.
My last relationship, of only 1 year, was the complete opposite experience. We made sense together. We fit together perfectly, wanted the same things, and had the same ideals. We had so much passion, chemistry, and our connection was magnetic. But we never understood each other. I could never read him, his actions and words confused me and I always misinterpreted him. He felt like an alien to me, which led to intense curiosity. But him not being able to understand me left my needs unmet and resentment built. The break up was so incredibly painful because it was just this one thing that we lacked that would have fixed everything.
Comments
Your partner should be either your best friend or at least very close. You need to be friends to work.