"You take this hand, you take this heart... stir my bones from a thousand miles apart"

Soulmates. I’m not sure I ever really gave it much thought when I was younger. I suppose I could have believed in the idea of a soulmate. After all, don’t most little girls grow up thinking their own version of prince charming is out there just waiting to cross paths?

I don’t believe I have a soulmate. I believe I have soulmates. Yes. Plural. Who knows how many soulmates a person can have. I really don’t know. I don’t think a person has a ton of them. I think there are very few who qualify. I know of two that I have. I’ve known one soulmate for over ten years. The other I met a few years ago, but truly got to know better in the last year or two.

I suppose I should explain. My view is that a soulmate is someone you have a strong connection with. It’s sharing an intimacy that you can’t share with just anyone. What I’m talking about goes beyond sexual connection. It’s when someone inexplicably “gets” you. It’s that emotionally personal bond. It’s having that heightened sense of awareness towards the other person. It's knowing something is wrong or knowing they have good news to share, without them saying anything. I believe that your soulmate is someone who naturally brings out the best in you. They make you want to succeed and be happy AND they know how to help get you there. Words of encouragement flow easily back and forth. And for me personally, there is an invisible flow of creativity that bounces between the two of us. Suddenly ideas are flying, words aren’t enough, and the music in my heart makes my head hurt because I can’t get it out on to paper quick enough.

Many would say that you tend to marry your soulmate. While I see the logic in that, I don’t necessarily think it’s what happens. Perhaps you marry someone who appears to meet most of your soul mate “criteria”. A person can have the best qualities ever, and maybe you do want to spend the rest of your life with that person, but that doesn’t mean they are your soulmate. Just like I can be around other people who inspire my creativity, but that doesn’t mean we have that special connection all around. And if you're lucky enough to meet a soulmate and end up with them for ever, well kudos to you.

Having a soulmate is almost like a gut reaction. It’s instinct. It almost can’t be properly explained, it’s just a feeling you get that is different than love. It’s different than friendship. It’s something of greater magnitude than both of those combined. It just… is.