Complete

Several people have told me recently, and several others in the past, that happiness can't come from a partner, but must come from within.  Someone I was really close to in the past often talked about not being a C who was looking for a O to complete them (or another C), that a healthy couple should be 2 complete O's.  Similarly, the last person that I dated gave me his copy of The Missing Piece Meets the Big O.  In that awesomely simple but complex story, the missing piece must round itself out and become it's own O before it can be happy. 

Part of me agrees with this idea. 

But part of wonders what you do if you are most happy in a couple, sharing your life with someone else.  How can you be complete without someone special to share things with?  What if you are a C, and your missing line is coupledom?  Why can't the missing piece fit into a pac-man piece, and they grow together? 

Most of my adult life, I've been single and not lonely or unhappy.  On the other hand, at least while in California, I've usually had 1-2 really special friends in my life, people that I saw every weekend and often during the week, people that I called to share my life with, people who I could count on to hang out with if I were bored.  I was never lonely because I had them.  I know you're going to say "That's what friends are like!"  May be.  Best friends, may be.  Super best friends. 

I don't recall these really significant friendships in Nebraska, though.  I was rarely lonely in Nebraska, but never really had one or two super-close friendships, either.  Other than when I was dating J, of course.  I wonder what the difference is between my friends then and my friends now?  How are my social circles and/or activities different?  Why wasn't I lonely then with "just" friendships?  Have I changed?