You Have to Picture Lobsters

We've all seen that episode of Friends, where Phoebe explains to the group why Ross is Rachel's lobster.

(In case you live in a cave, you can see the scene HERE).

Phoebe explains to Ross and Chandler that Ross needn't worry about Rachel dating other guys, because she is his lobster - "and we all know lobsters fall in love and mate for life."

Urban dictionary defines the phrase being someone's lobster as, being the one true love you always go back to. And as we know, Urban Dictionary knows what's up.

I was out last night with some friends, and the topic of being lobsters came up at some point, several drinks in. I commented that I wasn't anyone's lobster, that I was more like a barnacle...and was met with our friend Mike's reply: "It's like being a barnacle on a ship sailing towards someone else."

And for whatever reason, when he said it, it was one of the funniest things I've ever heard. Because yes, we've all been there! We have all been dating someone who we knew just had eyes for someone else. We've all dated someone just to take a break from being single, knowing full well there was no real future at all - thus knowing they were not our lobster. We have all dated plenty of people who we know are most definitely, not our lobster.

But then someone comes along that stops you in your tracks, makes you feel like, holy shit, this one might be real; this may be my lobster! You're happy, you're content, you're yourself, and they accept it. You put up with their snoring, and they put up with your inability to stay up past 9pm. It's great. It seems awesome. You're excited.

And then you get railroaded by reality.

Despite any and all past relationship fails, I do believe there's a lobster out there for everybody (despite having been told this morning that there are some people who don't get a lobster, in the name of natural selection). But you have to be ready for it. You have to stay positive and understand that all the morons in your past do not have anything to do with the lobster in your future. You can't hold grudges, you can't be bitter, you can't decide you hate the opposite sex or believe that they are all out to get you; you've gotta just embrace the punches as they come at you.