Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks were the “it” rom com couple for a reason.
Falling in love online?
But this rom-com classic, even though now absolutely riddled with outdated technology, is still a gem.
Warner Bros.
Accept that online dating is a perfectly valid option for falling in love.
Okay, we all know that Tinder sucks.
Youre probably saying to your screen right now, but I want to meet people the old-fashioned way!
Yeah, me too.
Hey, if it can work for Tom and Meg, maybe online dating isnt so bad.
Sure, you have to sift through trash, but thats the case in real life, too.
Surround yourself with books.
Meg Ryans Kathleen Kelly and Tom Hanks Joe Fox are both booksellers.
Their entire existence revolves around the written word.
Honestly, it sounds like a dream come true.
So fill up your empty shelves with well-loved tomes.
Sit in parks with your favorite stories and read in the afternoon sunshine.
Work at the library.
Most of all, make friends with people who love books, too.
Yall are a special breed.
Fight for what you love.
When a big-box conglomerate bookstore opens up near Kathleens small independently-owned bookshop, its a big problem.
AGodfatherreference, its an encouragement to go to war, to fight for what you care about.
And thats exactly what she does.
Fiercely fight for what you hold dear.
Fall in love with your city.
Youve Got Mailis an ode to Manhattan, showing all the best parks and historic sites in the city.
Even if you live in the middle of nowhere, you could still romanticize where you live.
Go out and enjoy the little places that no one has even noticed.
you could make friends from unlikely scenariosbut only if theyre legit awesome.
Kathleen and Joe are enemies, rivals.
They hate each other.
Listen, its easy to stick with people who are just like you.
Theyre the built-in friends.
But sometimes you could find people who arent so easy at first, and its all the more rewarding.
Just double-check this new enemy-turned-friend is actually worth your time.
Joe turned out to be a caring guy.
Dont fall for your opposite unless they have a hidden heart of gold.
Dont let failure ruin your life.
It was an especially big blow since it was her late moms store.
But we can learn a lot from how she handled the defeat.
She let herself wallow in it a bit, then looked on the bright side.
Sure, change is hard, and failure is never fun in the moment.
I hate to say the closed door, open window saying, so Ill just stop right here.
Ditch your significant other when they dont feel right for you.
I can admit that.
Luckily, they both ditch their significant others before finally being together.
It became clear to them both that they werent with people who were right for them.
Take Kathleen and Joes lead and ditch the duds.
Its often better to be friends first.
Instead, he decided they needed to be good friends first.
Honestly, smart move.
Some of the best real-life romances started out as friendships.
Just verify that isnt the only reason youre friends with someone.
Embrace the slow burn.
Most rom-coms have the couple getting together as soon as theyre able.
In real life, it doesnt always work that way, and thats reflected inYouve Got Mail.
They could have gotten together as soon as Joe found out that Kathleen was Shopgirl.
Or they could have made it happen when they both broke up with their significant others.
Or when Kathleen closed her business.
Nope, they waited until it was the right time.
Waiting doesnt have to be a bad thing, and sometimes an epic love is worth the wait.
Wait until everyones ready before you make your move.
After all, shed just lost her businessand it was his fault.
She had to grieve the loss of The Shop Around the Corner.
Plus, at this point she was still seeing him as a bit of an enemy.
He stayed friends with her while she worked through all of this.
And if you dont want to wait, this isnt the right person for you anyway.
Accept love from unlikely sources.
It can be easy to have a fixed idea of where and how you want to fall in love.
Cool, dont stop trying for those perfect moments.
But dont close yourself off to other options as well.
You might find something epic.
