The speaker, who has been married three times and divorced, shares her journey of self-discovery and the concept of "marrying oneself". She discusses how her life experiences have led her to realize that she kept marrying the wrong person, not because they were bad, but because she was not ready or prepared for a healthy relationship.
She recounts her childhood, describing her challenging upbringing with an alcoholic mother and a criminal father who spent most of her life in prison. Despite these difficulties, she found a goal to never be left, leading her to marry three times. However, each of these marriages ended in divorce, which she attributes to her inability to commit to her own well-being.
The speaker introduces the concept of "marrying yourself", which she defines as entering into a lifelong relationship with oneself, committing fully to oneself, and building a relationship with oneself until one feels whole. She contrasts this with the notion of marrying another person, which is typically temporary and can end in divorce.
She outlines the vows of "marrying yourself": for richer or poorer, for better or for worse, and in sickness and in health. She emphasizes that marrying oneself means loving oneself exactly where one is, forgiving oneself for mistakes, and committing to stay with oneself regardless of circumstances.
The speaker concludes by stating that when she married herself, she realized that she already had everything she needed. She now sees her role as helping others achieve their goals, contributing to her communities, and discovering new people. She views her relationships with others as secondary to her relationship with herself, which she describes as the only relationship she will ever have.
The speaker also shares a recent personal experience, where she went on a date and found herself focusing on how she felt in the other person's presence, rather than on whether he liked her. She emphasizes that she is not seeking security from others, but is only interested in being in a relationship with them.
1. The speaker has been married three times and divorced, leading her to consider herself a "total failure at relationships". [Document 1]
2. She has realized that she kept marrying the wrong person, not necessarily choosing bad guys, but people who ended up with other women. [Document 1]
3. The speaker's third husband is now a friend on Facebook. [Document 1]
4. She has been married three times, twice divorced, and is currently married to herself. [Document 1]
5. The speaker believes that she was always going through life with a sense of lack, feeling like a half person and missing something. [Document 2]
6. She describes her past three marriages as having been to the wrong person, not because she chose bad men, but because she was not yet ready to marry herself. [Document 2]
7. The speaker's third marriage, which ended in 2005, was to a man who started dating another woman after nine months of marriage. [Document 2]
8. She is currently married to herself, having realized that she already had everything she needed and that she was only going to have the relationship she was already having with herself. [Document 3]
9. The speaker is currently dating, but not trying to get security from her partner. She sees her relationship as a partnership where she is only interested in how she feels about herself, not how her partner feels about her. [Document 3]
10. She has been married three times, twice divorced, and is currently married to herself. [Document 1]
11. She has been married three times, twice divorced, and is currently married to herself. [Document 1]
12. She is currently dating, but not trying to get security from her partner. She sees her relationship as a partnership where she is only interested in how she feels about herself, not how her partner feels about her. [Document 3]
13. She has been married three times, twice divorced, and is currently married to herself. [Document 1]
14. She is currently married to herself, having realized that she already had everything she needed and that she was only going to have the relationship she was already having with herself. [Document 3]