For Better or Worse

I was observing a couple on campus today, the girl was being awful.  There was nothing lady-like about her, she was swearing up a storm, amid other things she was belittling her boyfriend.  He wasn't doing much better, he wasn't really paying attention and then when he would respond to her he'd mock her through not so subtle sarcasm.

The guy left and the girl stayed later to be joined by one of her friends then they started talking about how much said girl loved her boyfriend.  Then she said the words that make my soul shudder, "he loves me when I'm at my worst."

Okay, I get it, we're all kinda crappy at times. We want to be loved unconditionally. But something that I've noticed that disturbs me a little is that in the quest for finding someone who will love us for better or worse some of us act our worst to test the love offered.

Unless you're 14 and have been tossed around in the foster care system for the last 12 years of your life you don't really have the right or the motivation to do this.  If someone brings out the worst in you and they "love you anyway" that's not really as romantic as it sounds.  Don't you want someone who makes you want to be better than you already are?

I want someone who puts me on my best behavior all the time because I'm so inspired to be awesome.  Yes, we can't be perfect and we'll have less than flattering moments, but all in all this life is about becoming incrementally better over time. Wouldn't that be much easier to accomplish if we are with people that make us better than we currently are?

The phrase "for better or worse" is talking about life's trials, when LIFE is at its better and its worse moments.  When life feels like it's at its worst don't you want to be strengthened by someone loving and trustworthy so that you can support them back?

If you feel 100% comfortable being a crappy version of yourself in front of your significant other it isn't a sign of rightness, it's a sign that you don't respect him/her and if they have a low opinion of you. 

It's exhausting carrying another person's weight along with your own, so don't put up with crap, but don't deal it out either. 

You should try for better where you can, so you should try to be better with who you are and how you treat others.