Sometimes when I think of Grammar, I think of Love.

“You complete me.”

“You’re my missing puzzle piece.”

“I need you.”

“I’m nothing without you”

Are these really the kinds of phrases that should be associated with true love? When society puts so much emphasis on romantic relationships, it’s easy to build all of our confidence on these relationships. Then when they fall apart, we are left feeling empty, incomplete, broken. When we can’t find a romantic relationship, we feel that our lives are missing something.

I think that the healthiest relationships resemble compound sentences. In case you forgot all that grammar stuff back in high school, that’s two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (like “and”). Some clauses can stand alone as a sentence, while others can’t. Dependent clauses have to rely on an independent clause to “complete them,” forming a complex sentence. Independent clauses can stand by themselves, but if a coordinating modifier comes along, the independent clause can join with another independent clause to form a compound sentence.  So what does this have to do with relationships? It’s all about being complete.

Don’t be afraid to be your own complete person- to be an independent clause. You’re not “missing” anything. You can stand alone as your own wonderful sentence.  Then, if you find another independent clause- someone out there living his/her own life, see if your two complete sentences sound good together. And if they do, well, then head down to the “Conjunction Junction” and become a compound sentence. Become Complete Person AND Complete Person.

Or not. Because, if you choose to be an independent clause, you don’t HAVE to form a compound sentence. That’s the beauty of it. You never need to man/woman to complete you. You don’t have any missing pieces. You are a beautiful literary masterpiece written by God himself.