"And you might be thinking this is it, this is all there is."

To my fellow women — please don’t settle. Not in a job you hate, not in a town where you don’t feel at home, not with friendships that aren’t real, and especially, especially not with love. You deserve someone who will smile at your silly jokes, who will kiss your forehead when you’ve had a long day. You deserve a guy who doesn’t just spend the night, but spends the morning. Who cooks your favorite chocolate chip waffles with peanut butter and brings them on a tray to your bed when you’re sick. You are strong and gentle, determined and loving, complicated and kind, and you deserve someone who sees this. You deserve someone who fights for you. Who appreciates you. So please, my sister, don’t settle. Don’t settle for the man who texts you at three in the morning, or only when you’re at a party without him, or only when you’re happy with someone else. Don’t settle for the boy who plays mind games, who calls you hurtful names, who spins you around in his lies until you’re so dizzy and tired you just give in. I know you might feel lost right now. You might be scared. You might be terrified of being lonely. And you might be thinking this is it, this is all there is. But I promise you, there’s so much more. So please promise me this: That you will hold out for him. That you won’t settle for the cheapened version of love. That you won’t kiss away the unsatisfied taste on your tongue. That you won’t go to bed next to someone else, wishing for more. There will be more. So much more. And I promise, you’ll find it. I promise it will be more beautiful than you ever imagined.