Today, I got one of my favorite packages in the mail: My new supply of popcorn kernels. (And yes, I realize I talked about popcorn yesterday, too. I can’t help it…it’s my vice!)

What's the jewel in the next person you meet? (Note: This isn't black kernel popcorn, though it still looks good!)

Since I get bored with your average everyday yellow corn kernel I mix it up by getting various kinds of kernels, from ruby red to purple to dwarf whites. But my absolute favorite? Black Jewell, a tiny kernel that pops into a miniature piece of super-crunchy, nutty-flavored, snow white popcorn. (There are lots of other black or even midnight blue kernels, too, and they’re all worth trying.) Yet I wouldn’t have known about Black Jewell were it not for my friend Yvonne who was making some one night when I “popped” over to her place. After just one bite, my life changed just that much for the better.

Well, guess what? Life is full of little moments like this that can change your life for the better and we often have other people to thank for showing us the light. Remember that: Everyone you meet in life is there to teach you something—if, that is, you’re open to figuring out what.

I remember the first person who played me Nina Simone and the first person who fed me something with cilantro in it (after which I apparently screeched to my friend, “It tastes like dish soap, you have to try it!”). I’m sure your life list is equally full of experiences you would have missed out on had you not been open to trying it, tasting it, listening to it, or giving it a shot.

If you’re looking for a relationship, now’s the best time to open your eyes, your ears and your heart and pay attention to what people can teach you. Maybe you learn about a new something, or maybe you learn a new something about yourself. Don’t get so caught up in reaching the finish line of the right relationship that you don’t notice all the great stuff you can learn along the way! And the truth is, if you start looking around you instead of straight ahead, you might find that the right relationship is standing next to you trying to get your attention.

Love isn’t all about getting to the finish line. It’s about finding the Black Jewells along the way—the things that will make your life a little sweeter and make you sing a little louder. So pay attention today: If you’re open to it, you might find something that changes your life even that much for the better.

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Big love and happy popping,