He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not…

A fair amount of girls that I grew up with used to pull flower petals with the hopes that the last petal would land on “he loves me”.  We felt for sure that meant our “little” boyfriends really loved us.  We were young and in elementary school, therefore, we had no idea or concept of what love really meant outside of those flower petals.  I have to admit that some of the girls took this seriously, and  got more than a little upset when they were left with “he loves me not”.  Reflecting back on those days, I now see how funny it was that we believed the petals had a real bearing on our relationships.

Fast forward past teenage years and middle age, one can still ask the question “Does he love me or does he love me not”?  That’s always the million dollar question every female asks herself and, perhaps, even her friends because she might be afraid to ask her partner.  We always want to know (as we should) if the person we’re involved with has the same feelings we do or if they have feelings for us at all.  Quite honestly, it’s a fair question — but just how do we measure whether or not “he loves us”?

I had the occasion to talk to two different women on two separate days about their relationship with their respective partners.  Ironically, both of them are the tender age of “26,” and neither one of them knew the other had spoken with me.

One young lady’s boyfriend broke up with her for a brief moment (lapse in judgment according to both of them) because he felt he really had nothing to offer her due to his perception that she truly had it “going on”.  He actually thought that he didn’t measure up to her and that she deserved so much more.  His girlfriend is established — has a stable job, is buying her own home, has a car, etc., and is currently making more money than him.  He felt inferior to her because he is still trying to put his life together, and figure out exactly what it is that he wants to do with the next 100 years.  Of course, she was absolutely devastated as she didn’t see this coming — there wasn’t even the slightest hint.  She cried about it because she loved this man, even though they’ve been together for less than a year.  They talked about it, and she made some stipulations on their relationship, effective immediately.  What he didn’t seem to realize is that none of that mattered to her.  She loved him and he had told her that he loved her as well.  She was well aware of what she was bringing to the table, but cared about him enough to be in a relationship because she felt he was working towards his goal, and she knew that, ultimately, he would be making more money than she.  So the question was “Does he really love me.  How could I be dumped without first having a conversation about how he was feeling”?  She felt as though a discussion should have been had, so that she could have reassured him that in the grand scheme of things none of that mattered because she loved him.  “He loves me, he loves me not”.

The other young lady’s situation was totally different.  She has been with her guy for a good while.  He has her on an emotional roller coaster — one minute he wants her, and the next moment he is telling her to find someone else because she deserves better than him.  She, of course, loves him like there is no tomorrow since they have many years of history together.  She is beginning to question his love for her.  She wants to know “If he truly loves her how can he be so on and off again”.  She is in a quandary because her head and her heart are telling her something totally different.  In her head, she knows that she needs to move on for her mental well being; however, her heart won’t comply with her head — in other words, the two aren’t in alignment as yet.  “He loves me — he loves me not”.

Now, just because your man is not always telling you that he loves you and is not the kind who gushes over you 24/7 nor is he the mushy type, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you.  Yes, women want to hear it sometimes; however, as the saying goes, “actions speak louder than words”.  Does he treat you with respect?  Does he listen to you?  Is he compassionate?  Does he make you feel like you’re the only woman in the world? Does he look at you with love (not lust) in his eyes?  Does he take a real interest in what’s going on in your life?  If you answered yes to some or all of the questions (which is a very small list), then this is your man showing you just how much you mean to him.

Women have kicked good men to the curb because their guy didn’t tell them that he loved them like a thousand times a day.  They couldn’t associate his actions with how he truly felt about them, which is unfortunate.

At the end of the day, no one can tell you whether or not your man really loves you or is

just going through the motions.  I will say this — nine times out of ten, you will definitely know if he’s not that into you.  If you are unsure, and are driving yourself crazy about it, ask your partner.  He may feel that he is showing you (and more than likely he is); therefore, he thinks you should already know.  Some guys, may be a little sensitive in this area and take offense because they are doing everything in their power to show you. However, the flip side of the coin is that, if you’re anything like me, you hate to assume anything.  I had a friend tell me they thought they were showing me and in all actuality they were, but I was afraid.  I wasn’t used to being shown how someone truly felt about me, but I have to admit it feels mighty doggone good!

Sadly, sometimes, we find ourselves stuck in dead end relationships with someone that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt doesn’t love us and at some point, we’ve fallen out of love with them.  We’re afraid to move on or are afraid to be alone or are afraid of what people may think or are afraid to hurt our partners feelings or are afraid we can’t make it financially, etc.  However, we owe it to ourselves to be happy.  Quite honestly, it’s okay to be alone — that doesn’t mean we’re lonely; these are two different things.  I was alone for a long time, and had to realize that it wasn’t the end of the world. Yes, I wanted to be in a relationship, but this time around I told myself I wasn’t going to just settle for anything to be with someone, and was going to wait until Mr. Right came along.  I have more years behind me than I have ahead of me, and I want to live them out in happiness.  I don’t expect things to be perfect, but right — it has to be the right fit.  Ladies if he’s not the one, walk away.  Don’t waste years of your time because you can never get them back.  Trust me I know what that feels like because I’ve traveled that road.  Love yourself enough not to be desperate to hold on.  At the end of the day, I don’t want to be left wondering whether “he loves me or loves me not,” and neither should you.

Always remember, #GurlYouGotItGoinOn

Love ya,

Grace

P.S.:  I now have a podcast that is featured on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts and a few others, which you may find under Grace Deveraux or “Take A Leap With Grace.”  Also, you may find me on Instagram @Gracedeveraux.  Please stop by and check out what I’ve been up to. 😊

Author: Grace Deveraux

I started this site for women, because as a woman, I understand the challenges that we face daily. Some of you are wives, some are significant others, some are mothers and/or grandmothers, running your own business, caretakers, etc. In other words, we have a lot going on. There are those of us who have been deemed "super women" or "super heroes" (boss babes), and we wear our "capes proudly," as we should. However, at the end of the day, we often neglect ourselves, thereby losing sight of the fact that we should practice self-care regularly (and no this is not selfish, but necessary). We have to "learn" to love ourselves enough to "stop," and take/make time to "smell the roses." Life is short...❤️ View all posts by Grace Deveraux