7,225,193,621

At this moment in time, there are 7,225,193,521 people on planet Earth. By the time you take your next breath, that number will have increased. Some are lost. Some are coming home. Some craft lies in order to make it through the day. Some cannot manage to escape the truth. Some are cradling a broken heart. While others are reminiscing on the happiest moments in life. Each of these individuals has a different desire that God has placed in their heart. Each has a different point at which their vulnerability is triggered. And out of that seven billion people in the world, all you need is one.

Imagine a moment in your future when all of the scenarios you played out in your head while sitting in the desk of your high school finally play themselves out. A moment when the combination of these perfect moments become a thing you call your life. It is one of the greatest times of your existence and you get to experience it with one person. Who is standing next to you? Is it the little boy from your first grade class that always had his finger lodged up his nose? Is it the guy you always noticed strolling across the lawn of your college campus but never really took the time to learn his name? Or is it the man that frustrated you at the stop light three months ago? Who is to blame for the happiest moments in your life? Unlike most questions, this is one amongst few that cannot be answered in advance.

I am fortunate enough to have a friend that will tolerate my philosophies and opinions. Without Caitlin, I would be a complicated cluster of frustration, excitement, and genius ideas trapped in the body of an eighteen-year-old female. (Which, if you ask me, sounds like a dangerous concoction.) Earlier this week we were discussing the fact that matters have drastically changed over time. Yes, I know, that is the understatement of the century. I'll explain.

For many years now, I have listened as my parents have repeatedly told their perfect fairytale. Things were much simpler then. Relationships were not built upon the liking of an Instagram post and they were certainly not established by the current relationship status on Facebook. "Love" was not a word that was used too lightly. It was a word that described the feeling one felt when they had found their "person". Their second set of ears, their third arm, their significant other. It was/is apparent that within a few times of being in each other's company, there had never been something so crystal clear as the fact that they belonged together. I guess one could compare it to the feeling you get when you find the perfect pair of shoes, but on a level of intensity that is all its own. But the more I pondered these fairytale-like happenings, the more I realized that the world no longer revolves in this direction. Relationships are rarely built on the hearts of those involved. Instead, they rely on circumstances, mistakes, and pending opportunities to decide for them. Doesn't seem right does it? I didn't think so either. And I wish I could say that I have solved at least one of the world's problems. But the truth is, I have just as many questions as I did before the first word of this post.

Seven billion people in the world, and sometimes you only need one. Will you recognize the authenticity of infatuation when you discover it? Better yet, will you be courageous enough to pursue it?

compliments of BillieJoe and Jeremy Photography!