What is a Soulmate, Exactly?

Friends. Acquaintances. Lovers. Enemies. Strangers. Brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers. There are so many different relationships we have as we walk along the path on the journey that is our life. People we care about, people we couldn't care less about; people we are close to, people we hold at arm's length; people we enjoy, people we almost can't stand to be around; people we trust, and people we mistrust; and everything in between. With almost everybody we meet, we form a relationship that falls somewhere within the bounds of these spectrums. But in all of these different relationships, there are only a few lucky people out there who actually find their soulmate.

A soulmate, in my experience, is that one person who completes you, with whom you belong beyond any shadow of a doubt. The Holmes to your Watson. The Sonny to your Cher. The peanut butter to your jelly (or marshmallow fluff, or bananas, or whatever you like with peanut butter). It's that person who completes your life in a way that you could never have imagined when they weren't there. You are only a half, but together you are a whole. And a soulmate, contrary to popular belief, doesn't have to be a romantic person of interest. A soulmate can be a sibling, a lover, or simply a friend.

And many times, your soulmate is a person you never expected to meet, somebody you didn't know you needed. But along they come, stumbling into your life like a course-altering explosion. You get stuck with them as a roommate, or a partner for a project, or as a member of your family. And at first, you can't quite understand this person. They seem quiet, or loud, or obnoxious, or perpetually frightened - in any case, the total opposite of you. You clash, you misunderstand, and then one day you realize that this person knows you better than anyone. They fix you in ways that you didn't know you were broken. Their differences complete you. And you begin to respect, appreciate, and even rely on those differences. They are strong where you are weak, and they are weak where you are strong. Like two halves of a brick wall, you come together and shore each other up, making you both better people even as you infuriate each other to no end. There is no one on earth, in the past or in future times, who can fill that spot in your life the way they can. And while you may not physically be with them for the rest of your lives, due to Death or the changes of life, you will never be apart in spirit. Your soulmate, your person, the one who knows you best and loves you most, will never truly leave you. Your souls, once united, will be in touch always, even if it is only by the merest thread of remembrance.