Forever and Almost Always

So the story goes on down the less-traveled road
It's a variation on the one I was told
And although it's not the same
It's awful close, yeah

In an ordinary fairytale land
There's a promise of a perfect happy end
And I imagine having just sort of that
Is better than nothing

So you'll be mine
Forever and almost always
And I'll be fine
Just love me when you can...
And I'll wait patiently
I'll wake up every day
Just hoping that you still care.

Life is full of conflicting messages. My favorite conflict in love might be between "Some sort of relationship is better than none at all", vs."Never settle for halfway commitment; look for someone who gives you everything they have." I'm not sure which is truer. At times, when I'm feeling strong and independent, like I can do anything if I just stay determined, I feel like I need to wait for someone who'll look at me like I'm their whole world, and I feel like I shouldn't settle for someone who isn't quite right for me or someone who just can't always be there for me. At other times, I feel like I might never meet someone better than the people I've already met. I have so many people in my life who love me. They don't love me all the time, but they love me sincerely all the same. I feel like love, no matter what form its in, should be enough, and I shouldn't be picky in waiting for the "perfect" all-the-time love, because it may never come. Maybe I need to make the best of the love that I have and just appreciate the fact that I'm loved sincerely, and will be loved forever, even if the love isn't mine to have all the time. (This doesn't refer to cheating or being the mistress; it refers to loving someone whose heart you can't have all of the time, but you have their attention and their love some of the time, but you'll have that sometimes-love forever.). I don't know if I'll ever be sure. At some point I may decide that if the connection is genuine, true, and will last forever, I can settle for it, even if I don't have that person's love all the time because of their own personal issues with love and trust and all. Or maybe I'll remain an idealist for good, and keep waiting for that person who can love me forever and all of the time. I guess we'll see. The real reason I'm thinking about all of this is because of a song that I heard, and a story that I read, and I was wondering how to interpret both the story and the song.

Love is love. Is it better to be satisfied with the sincere, sometimes-love that you have, even if it's not the great, perfect all-the-time love? Or is it better to wait for the all-the-time, great, perfect love and never settle for anything less than what you deserve - 100% commitment and attention? To find someone who loves you all the time because they look at you like you're worth it, or to stick with someone who loves you when they can, loves you all the same even though they can't be with the one they truly love, or are incapable of truly making love into a real commitment? Finding love is half the battle; any form of true love is a near-fairytale, but it's not the perfect fairytale if you can't have that love all the time. Part of me says to stop looking for the ultimate fairytale and hold sacred the love that I have, while part of me tells me I'll find a more consistent, a more stable kind of love too. This might make more sense if you read the story and listen to the song.
The song itself released a couple years ago, but I never really got around to listening to it I guess. It's beautiful though. It's by Kate Voegele, who also played the role of aspiring singer-songwriter Mia Catalano on One Tree Hill. Mia is a televised representation of Kate's own reality, and the show is really the inspiration for a lot of Kate's songs. It's a beautiful, beautiful, very honest song that I love. It makes me question a lot about love and life, and I hope it makes you think too.

Is having just short of the fairytale really better than nothing, or would that mean settling for less than you deserve, because everyone deserves their perfect fairytale?
I wonder. The song leans towards finding someone who can love you always, but I say, in typical slightly cynical fashion, that maybe we ought to be more satisfied with the sincere love we have, even if it is only part-time due to personality and other issues, not due to another person. The jury's definitely still out, and if I ever figure out my personal love life or even how to be happy in life in general I'll keep y'all updated. I guess the biggest issue in humanity is that no one really knows what they want long-term outside of the materialistic box. Everyone knows what they don't want, but no one really knows what they want in terms of life or love (realistically; wanting the fairytale love life isn't an adequate answer past the generous age of 9). When I figure out what I really want -a strong independent life vs, keeping my friends in my life no matter the personal cost/pain, or a strong independent life vs. the fairytale romance, etc- I'll let you know. For now, suffice it to say that I'm confused, but still forging ahead and trying to figure it out and make the best of the opportunities that I do have (sidenote: I really need to stop sabotaging myself and seize the long-term opportunities that I have instead of focusing on instant gratification -which is another fatal human flaw, really. This is the semester I get things together academically and professionally and even personally, instead of just socially. Pinky promise.)
I'll post the link to the story after I've gotten permission from the author to do so, and you can head over to iTunes and buy the song "Forever and Almost Always" in the meantime :)