I was watching one of my old favourite movies the other night simply because it just happened to be on. It’s called Keeping the Faith and if you have not seen it, then I recommend it next time you are stuck for something to watch. It’s a romantic comedy about a Priest and a Rabbi who are best friends – a good all rounder to amuse both genders.
Anyway, to cut a long story short (and hopefully this won’t ruin it for you) the Rabbi wanted to date a girl who was not Jewish and ends up breaking up with her because he thinks his congregation, family and friends will not approve.
It reminded me of a few people I myself have not dated because I did not think that my friends and family would look upon it favourably. Guys who probably would have treated me like gold no doubt, but now I will never know.
I wonder how many people out there are unhappy and single because they let society and their loved ones make them feel like they can only be with someone they approve of. My guess is there are probably quite a few! I sincerely hope you are not one of them, and if you are then you have nothing but my sincerest sympathies. It’s easy for me to say that you should just follow your heart and forget about what other people think, but I understand that certain circumstances are more difficult than most of us can even begin to imagine.
When it comes to religious differences, things can be tricky and I am not qualified to give you proper advice here. All I can say is that you have to make the choices that you can ultimately live with. You will need to decide whether your religion or your love life come first. However if you are in love with someone who may be a different race to you or a different size, but you are not with them because you fear what society may think…well then you may never find the happiness you seek.
Go for what YOU want and follow your heart! If your family and friends cannot accept it then that is their problem. Remember one of my favourite little sayings…”Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind”
Before I say good bye though let me tell you a very quick true story about a good friend of mine…
I used to work as a Recruitment Consultant and my colleague had this rather large account to deal with which required her to phone the client often. Every time she was on the phone to this particular client, her eyes would light up and she would seem to be at her happiest. I used to joke around with her and tease her about liking him, but she told me he was too ugly for her (shocking I know, but this is how she felt…or how she thought others might feel). I told her she was being silly and that she should give it a go because they got on so well over the phone and in person.
She eventually realised that this guy obviously made her happy and proceeded to date him without telling anyone, including me (again, clearly worried about what people would think). When she eventually came out into the open about their relationship (which I suspected anyways) she realised that people were in fact thrilled for her. Not quite the judgemental crisis situation she imagined.
Their wedding is at the end of May in Italy. I look forward to it and I like to think I had a little help in getting them there.
Learn from her story what you can and never let anyone dictate who you should or should not be with.