I ask my nephew what he wants to be when he grows up.

I ask my nephew what he wants to be when he grows up.

"A dinosaur," he says. I laugh. "No, wait -- I want to be happy." I pause. "Me too, buddy. Me too."

When we're kids, we're honest about what we want. Then we grow up. And somewhere along the way... We stop saying it out loud. Not because we stop wanting it. But because we're afraid of what people will think.

I know that fear. It shows up every time I talk about finding love.

We act like it's not important. Like we're too busy building our lives to admit we're looking for someone. Because that's safer.

Some people say wanting this openly makes me look desperate. But trying doesn't mean you're desperate. It means you care enough to do something about it.

Nobody says that about a career. You prepare. You work hard. You put yourself out there.

The person you marry will shape the rest of your life. So why would I pretend I don't care about finding her?

I can't choose when I meet the right person. But I can choose whether I try. I can build a life I'm proud of. And I can work toward finding someone to share it with.

My nephew wasn't trying to sound cool. He wasn't worried about being judged. He just told the truth. He wanted to be happy.

Me too, buddy. Me too.