Have you ever stood atop a mountain and looked down at the little cars and people minding their own business below? Have you ever climbed four miles to the summit and felt the cool breeze and nervously hoped you wouldn't get blown away?

I hadn't been able to do that until this summer. We were two people trying to figure out life and moving along with it. Perhaps getting to the top of those three mountains was the best thing I could have done for myself. It's quiet up there. Aside from other hikers trying to accomplish the same goal, the only thing that I could hear was the whooshing sound of the wind and the whipping of my hair around my face, sometimes a faint waterfall in the distance.

How many times a day do I take deep inhales and exhales and thank the universe that I was given this body and this mind? Not many. When I was looking down at the miniature buildings and people, I felt like I had put things in a new perspective, not just literally. The world is so big and I am just one tiny person. Why did it feel like there's a bigger plan for me than just existing?

Barely six months ago my life was consumed by work, friends, school, partying... things that every young adult experiences. Today, I'm days away from officially being twenty-three and all I can think is that over the course of one year, I've figured out life a little bit more and am actually looking forward to another journey of 365 days around the sun... more lessons to learn and more mountains to climb.

There is a term for what people my age are going through. Adults who are just starting their early twenties sometimes experience what is known as a Quarter-life Crisis. For some, it can be a tough transition from early adulthood to midlife-- the time where people tend to tell you that "the world is your oyster" and supposedly, you have a plethora of opportunities. Wikipedia lists some signs of this stage as:

• Financially-rooted stress
• The feeling that everyone is suceeding more than you are
• Identity confusion
• Loneliness
• Insecurity regarding the near future
• Insecurity regarding accomplishments
• Frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career

I think the biggest hindrance here is the lack of commitment us quarter-lifers want to put into anything besides careers. At this point, everything is just taking off. We're about to finish college or if we're lucky enough, we even have a degree under our belts. Naturally, the next step is to find an entry-level position or a paid internship and start working our butts off. And very commonly, we'll have to travel and find a new beginning.

With a fresh new start, many loose ends and relationships are left behind. Is it any wonder we don't want to commit to anything? Why bother dating anyone seriously if you're not gonna end up together anyway? Heck, I don't even want to commit to a gym membership for fear of that huge cancellation fee that I will face when move onto something better.

I think the bigger question here is how one would go about dealing with a QLC? When a typical person hits a mid-life crisis, they get a convertible, a condo, and even a new mistress. What does a single, poor, twenty-something do? Apparently, I have an entire oyster to myself that I can do anything with. The opportunities are endless afterall!

There is a really special thing that I like to call Movie Love. It's pretty much self explanitory. A love similar to that which can be found in movies.

I'm not really one to care for romantic comedies unless I know it's going to be something really spectacular.

To start off, here are some of my favorite lovey-dovey type movie things (in no particular order) that I sometimes watch when the mood strikes:

• When Harry Met Sally - The story about how some guys and girls can never be "just friends". I think we all can some way or another relate to this.
• Say Anything - John Cusack is definitely one of my celebrity crushes. This is an amazing movie about young love. Ahhhh... to be young and in love again. I wish Lloyd Dobbler were real.
• Enchanted - Disney but still.
• What Women Want - I haven't seen this one actually but I'm recommeding it because I know it's that good.

First point I'd like to make, everyone's taste is different. Clearly, not everyone falls for the same guy or girl (Unless you count Easa because he's every girl's dream guy... I hope he doesn't read this). What I would like my movie love to be might not be your idea of movie love at all. In fact, it could be totally opposite!

Why do we want to be in love like this? Because it mostly always works out in the end. The protagonist always ends up with their love interest. You could even say that it was destiny that brought them together. Sometimes, we turn to these types of movies in hopes that our real-life counterparts can work things out this easily. Unfortunately, most relationship problems don't work out over the course of an hour and a half. If that were the case, we'd all marry our high school sweethearts.

Most romance stories have distorted my view of how the real world should be. I didn't know it then but my last relationship has turned me into quite a cynic. I don't think there's anything wrong with that though. Being a cynical person cushions the fall a little bit when the people you love the most let you down. Movie love is a great escape from the real world and allows us to fantasize about something so wonderful that someone would want to write a movie about-- one that millions will watch and cry over. In the end, you'll want to be careful when it comes to picturing your perfect romance because things may not turn out the way you'd expect and you'll soon find that it would have helped if your judgement wasn't clouded by that image John Cusack standing outside your bedroom window with a boom box.

Sadly, we all have to experience a heartbreak of some sort. I think it shows us all how much we really love someone or something and we can take that experience and learn from it.