There’s No Timeline For Finding True Love. Here’s Why The Best Relationships Are Worth The Wait

They say good things come to those who wait. The age-old adage proves to be true when it comes to love and romance, too. Think of your favorite slow burn, made-for-tv couples: Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls, Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly from The Office, and Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl. The “will they or won’t they” energy keeps fans on their toes and makes for compelling stories of why true love is worth the wait.

Lindsey Metselaar, host of We Met at Acme, shares stories of relationships that came to fruition after long waiting periods in a recent episode. She’s sharing listeners’ stories about finding love after a long, hard-fought, wait that ultimately proved to be worth it.

Finding love after a toxic relationship

After moving to a small town in Rhode Island, one We Met at Acme listener got into an extremely toxic year-and-half-long relationship, which followed a failed seven-year relationship that ended a year and a half prior. After the toxic relationship ended, the listener, though she was hesitant, got back on the dating app and began swiping. One guy caught her eye with his humorous responses to prompts, and very quickly, he asked her out on a date.

After a great first date, he asked her on a second, a third, and a fourth date. He always intentionally planned fun outings and was honest and forthcoming about his feelings, all green flags. On the fourth date, the listener revealed her suitor gave her flowers and a handwritten note.

The listener wrote, “It made me cry because I had just endured such a toxic relationship. I couldn’t believe a man would go out of his way to do such nice and thoughtful gestures. I was so sure I was deserving of someone amazing. He checked off every box that I could have ever dreamed of and then some.”

The couple is now engaged and pregnant with their first child. They are scheduled to get married this fall in a courthouse wedding. Metselaar says the moral of the story is, don’t settle. True love is worth the wait. “Your whole world can change in not even a year’s time. Know your worth and you can have all you have ever dreamed of and then some,” Metselaar says.

Love worth the wait: A divorcée and single mom’s story

One 32-year-old listener shares her story about finding love after being divorced for more than five years and being a mom to a six-year-old son. After doing some inner work and changing her perspective on dating, something clicked. In early January, she matched with a guy on Bumble. They met IRL a week after connecting online, and little did she know, she had met her person.

She describes him as “the most unselfish, compassionate, romantic man I’ve ever met.” The listener says she appreciates the wait to find love because if they had met earlier, she believes their love would not be this good because they both have done work on themselves individually. The listener advises women to “never settle because you are someone’s dream girl.”

Metselaar agrees that women should let go of the scarcity mindset in dating. Tell yourself that you deserve better than what you are getting right now. “If you are in a bad relationship or you’ve been single for a while and you feel s**t out of luck, you have to get out of that mindset. Realize there is an amazing person for you out there,” she says.

Settling into a convenient love after the pandemic

One New York listener shares her story of entering into a relationship at age 29, just a few months before the pandemic struck the entire world. A fling with a casual friend turned into what felt like a serious relationship thanks to months of isolation, causing her to ignore her reservations and their incompatibility. They continued to stay together through 2021.

They got engaged in 2021 after the listener revealed she threatened to break up if they didn’t. During the week of their Florida nuptials, Hurricane Ian brought their wedding to a halt, almost like a bad omen. All the vendors cancelled, including the priest. After wise advice from her dad, the listener broke up with her fiancé.

Now at age 32, the listener says she started living her life—casually dating, making time for friends, meeting new people, and even throwing a housewarming party. In April of 2023, one week after what was supposed to be her postponed wedding date, she met the love of her life, the man who is now her husband and father of her two kids. She says ending the engagement was the best decision she ever made.

Metselaar applauds the listener’s dad for sitting down with her and telling her she didn’t have to get married. “Your dating life is such an important decision. Send back a guy like you would send back a dish at a restaurant. You’re paying.”

For more dating wisdom, tune into We Met at Acme.