The Pringles and the Lays of It All
Single as a Pringle is a crazy statement. Fifty chips all spooning in a cylinder together — could you be any less alone?
But for some people, being that close to others can feel isolating. Romanticizing and daydreaming about your love interest keeps the spark alive. What are they doing? Are they thinking about me? Are they happy right now? The mystery and distance are what breed attraction. Like Lays in a bag, they need space to move freely, interacting with other chips when they feel like doing so.
What happens when a Pringle and a Lays come together? Other than a blood sugar spike, possible turmoil can arise. Love languages are one thing, but deciphering whether you are a Pringle or a Lays in a relationship can be truly eye-opening. Let’s delve into some specifics, why don’t we.
Image courtesy of Pinterest
This Pringle Wants to Mingle
If I love someone, I cannot fathom any other expression of that than wanting to spend every waking moment in their presence. Exam tomorrow morning? Library date, obviously. Hungry? Let’s cook. Exhausted from having to entertain me for the last three days? Great, let’s nap. Tired of me now? Impossible.
Some call it anxious attachment, I like to call it the Pringle way. Let’s live in our little tube forever!
Lays for Days
As crazy as it sounds to me, there are people in this world who can love someone so much yet not want to do every single task with them. These people are Lays.
They wake up, go about their day, check in on their loved ones when they have a second and then maybe see them for a cheeky little dinner date. They are perfectly content catching up, exchanging stories about their respective lives and laying their heads on their pillows alone that night, completely satisfied with themselves.
Image courtesy of Pinterest
Lays just prance around in their sealed up plastic home with room to be themselves. Sure, there are other flattened potatoes around, but they can choose to interact on their own accord. How secure of them.
When a Pringle Meets a Lays
The Lays way not only baffles me, it makes me instantly spiral. Why on Earth do you not want to be in a little air-sealed tube with me 24/7? My mind can’t help but go to a dark place when I realize people I love don’t want to join me at the hip. My first big idea as a kid was to create a back-to-back toilet so I would never have to use the restroom alone again. You can imagine my shock when my mom struck down this business proposal.
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At this point, you may be wondering how I don’t terrify everyone who enters my life with my high demands. Let me tell you, I do. But as I have grown up (bold assumption), I have started to realize that everyone has their own style of expressing love and their own threshold for social time. Learning how to truly love my Lays chips while staying true to my Pringle roots has been a journey, but one worth taking.
The first step is to realize — it is shocking that I’m even uttering this — that not everything is about you! Harsh reality, I know. Just because your significant other wants to watch YouTube, pop a NyQuil and hit the hay does not mean they don’t love you. They might have a cold. You are not unloved! Sometimes, people need to be in touch with themselves, get their priorities straight and be the best person they can be to love you the way you deserve.
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Don’t listen to everyone else’s advice when it comes to relationships. Everyone loves to tell you what you’re doing wrong so that they can ignore their own issues. All relationships are different. The reality is, everyone in college is just trying to keep their heads afloat. If you need a night to yourself, you are owed that, but the same thing goes for your significant other.
At the end of the day, you are two separate people with your own pasts and ways of loving. Boundaries are hot. Someone telling you that they need the space to get their shit done so they can give you their full attention later is one of the most loving things they can do. Pringles and Lays can collab and be fucking amazing.
Image courtesy of Pinterest
Love others for who they are, but don’t forget to love yourself for all the beautiful things you bring to the table. The right person won’t tell you you’re clingy; they’ll reassure you if you’re feeling lonely and appreciate you for you.
Everyone is shaped by their unique experiences and, sometimes unfortunately, brings preexisting worries into a relationship. Friends, boyfriends, parents, all of your relationships are so different and require you to collaborate and find what works for you both. All chips are great, let’s be honest, so just chill out babe!
Strike out,
Writer: Olivia Evans
Editor: Olivia Hansen
Gainesville
Olivia Evans is a writer for Strike Magazine Gainesville. When she's not woman-splaining Silver Springs by Fleetwood Mac or giggling along to some nonsense podcast, you can find her aimlessly walking around campus with her headphones in and matcha in hand (she’s probably lost but trying to play it off). You can reach her on Instagram @olivialeevans or by email at oliviaevans@ufl.edu.
