The common misconception about soulmates is that they are meant to be together. The soul is a mysterious and undiscovered country. It weaves a fabric of existence far beyond life and the deeper meaning of what lies beneath are easily misinterpreted by those who try to simplify its workings into definable concepts.

The word is abused by those who fall in love and stay together for long periods of time, even for their whole life. It is easier to do this with someone who is not your soulmate. Someone who fits the definition of soulmate is fully in tune with your thoughts, your ways and your pain. They are too close to you to be close to you.

By direct definition, a soulmate is someone with whom you have mated with at the soul. Not at the heart, the mind or the body. You may not even be physically attracted to your soulmate because the attraction is on a completely different level. It is an attraction so powerful that it borders on repulsion because it causes light to be shone on things you might rather not face.

In some cases, soulmates may complete each other, or feel as if they do. What is missing, what fills in the blanks, appears and becomes clear. Then it becomes muddy. Being with a soulmate can be like looking into a mirror and trying to remove the glass between yourself and the image that you see. The image is not you, but it reflects you, both in light and darkness. Too much of either may be more than either can take in large doses. Therefore, soulmates may be better oceans apart than sharing the same bathroom.

Couples can debate bills, babysitters, schedules and commitments. Soulmates cannot. Their debates live on the metaphysical plane and such arguments can drive them mad. Soulmates are not made for this world, they are a promise of things to come. Fall in love. Experience the wonders of life. Enjoy the colors of the sky and of the leaves. Seize the day and live in the moment. This world was not made for one as beautiful as you. This chapter of existence is here for character development and foreshadowing events to come.

(Ice cream can be quite refreshing on a hot summer's day.)