Hannah Greene  | Sports Editor

Soulmate: a person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner. Destiny, chance, meant to be, etc. Why do soulmates have to refer to a friend or someone we love? Why can’t this beautiful term represent a connection with anything that one may feel throughout their entire lives?

We are told that we have one true soulmate, that we have been connected to forever, that one day we will meet them and we will just know — this goes for our best friend and our significant other. But this is all so false; a soulmate can be anyone or anything that left a mark on our hearts and in our minds. A soulmate isn’t just a human, but can be an animal, a tune, a fragment of nature or just a natural connection to something way beyond our eyes.

In Australia, the word ‘mate’ is used as a form of endearment, to show someone platonic love or joy in their presence. The word is thrown around to everyone, it’s not used in the way of “mating” with someone, or the “mate” that is your significant other — it is in fact, just a mate.

Our souls live way beyond our bodies ever will, meaning the connections we will encounter will never truly end. Our souls truly see and are able to direct us to the connections we need, whether we can actually see it or not.

When I was little, I believed that I had one soulmate and that was who I was going to spend the rest of my life with… I was an idiot. Each year I have come across people, animals and moments, even if for the briefest moment, that have made an impact in my life that have bonded with my soul, leaving a little etch in my heart, causing it to grow more. Each passerby has shared my soul in a way that the next cannot. Each connection is never the same as the last, making each connection just as valuable as the last, even if I will never come across that person or thing again. 

Let’s cherish the mates our souls have found, embrace the teachings they have shown us and seize the seconds they give.

Here’s to the many mates my soul has introduced me to — the ones I am no longer able to see or hold, and the ones I hope to see again.

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu