first love and true love

I've been writing this post in my head for a while. Today seems like a good day to write it. Though I could just as easily write it tomorrow. But on a day when lots of people will be surrounded by talk and symbols of love, I might as well contribute my own thoughts.
I went on a date with a guy back in December. It was only our second date (which I quickly realized would be our final date). I had liked him a lot on our first date. He was interesting, acted interested in me, had the best manners I've ever known, and he knew good wine. I was disappointed when he had to go to London for a month, but we emailed some while he was gone then arranged another date after he returned. On our second date he was not the same guy I had liked so much. We talked, but without any of the connections we had made on our first date. I was surprised when he started telling me about other girls he'd dated. I don't believe that is second date conversation. Then he made a comment I haven't been able to forget. He told me he believes he has already experienced his first love and his true love. This left me to wonder, what else is there if you've already experienced your true love?
I began to reflect on my own past relationships. Have I experienced a first love and a true love? I began to realize maybe I have. My first love was exciting. It was everything I had hoped it would be. I didn't want it to end. They say you never forget your first love. It forever changes you. My first love was Bangkok. I moved there full of hope and expectations. I quickly fell in love with the pace of a big city. It had so much to offer. I felt like I fit there. I could have stayed there forever. But like all first loves, I knew it had to end. With some regret and sadness, I left my first love. The relationship may be over but it isn't gone. I'll visit and reminisce while I'm there, but it will never be the same. Bangkok continues to change, and I am not the same person I was when I lived there.
After Bangkok, I felt the loss as I lived in a city that offered me very little. After two years in a city I didn't love, I needed to leave. I needed to find a place that was right for me. I moved to New York City. It was love at first sight. When I went to visit in June, I just knew that I had found what I was looking for. It felt comfortable. It felt right. I love everything about the City. From the busy streets, to the many shops, to the subways and taxis and buses, to the parks. Places to eat, drink, dance, talk, sit, and be. New York is my true love. It reminds me of the things I loved in Bangkok, but offers me even more to love. People keep asking me if I'll ever leave New York. It takes me back to the question after my date. What else is there after you've experienced your true love? Maybe I could leave New York. I could find another city where I could be happy. I would find new things to love about it. But I think I would always feel a little bit of loss anytime I thought about my true love, and the happiness and completeness I felt.
Maybe I'm wrong. Just like in relationships with people, maybe New York is my true love for right now. There are a lot of cities out there. It's hard for me to believe only one will be my true love. In the same way that I realized Bangkok could not be long-term, I might realize New York is good only for this particular time in my life. If I leave, I want to believe that there is another city that I could love just as much if not more. Unfortunately, when you are in the relationship or even just after it ends, it is hard to believe you can ever find and experience that kind of love again.
I really love New York. I hope it doesn't end.