Using REALNESS to meet your girlfriend online. The puzzle theory... I met Kait online. Though we discovered we went to the same high school and hung around some of the same circles, I met Kait on a website. Not the website you might think, either... I met Kait on Goodreads.com. Ya see, I had just published my first novel, and needed some reviews. Connecting goodreads and facebook, I found kait through friends of friends. She was a generous rater, and I saw she liked young adult books. I figured she'd at least give me 4 stars. I messaged her, asking her to read my book and shipped her a free, signed copy of Hang-Ups and Hangovers. The thing is, I sent that book to a lot of people. Some people told me they loved it. Some people, HATED IT, and/or would not finish reading it. It's not for everyone. Hang-Ups is raw, gritty, and sometimes uncomfortable. But it's unapologetically REAL. Reading my work, Kait knew my flaws from the start. And they drew us together. The same flaws some readers hated. I think everyone should aim for that standard in a partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, or whatever. I wish that for everyone. A person who wants you to be your best self, but fully accepts you, warts and all. So be real. Don't hide your flaws. Don't try to "fit in." Be unapologetically you. Because people are like puzzle pieces. Your jagged edges only mesh with other certain, specific pieces. You aren't meant to fit with every puzzle-piece in the box. But if you mask your edges, hide them, smooth them over for appearances or whatever, you can't connect with pieces you actually fit with. And you'll be with someone who is always trying to change your edges into something they're not. Kait has never once suggested I be anything different from the person I've always been. She's never shamed me for my decisions or tried to censor me as I write and share more and more. She's always accepted all of me. And it's because she's known my authentic jagged edges from the very start, and they meshed with hers. @kaitlin_bridget (at Greenville, North Carolina)










