tidbit: 19 reasons why i love my boyfriend

Attention readers: this is a post I wrote a few months ago, and never got around to publishing.  Since this time, my boyfriend and I have broken up for very complicated reasons.  THAT BEING SAID, I still believed this post (and what's written in it) was valuable to put up, because in our final months together, the advice below really did make a positive difference.  Enjoy reading, and I'll have an update on the status of my love life in the coming week...

It's so easy to get caught up in life, isn't it?  Everyone is busy with work or school ... stressed about finances, body image, and family ... wondering when the next big thing will happen for them ... and all the while trying to catch up on goals and plans, schedules and deadlines, and a plethora of other things.

So, so easy to get caught up in life ... and forget about what's really important (i.e. your significant other).

The longer a relationship lasts, the more that person becomes a part of your routine.  But that's not what we want - that's not what the novels and the rom coms have trained us to want!  We all want to fall in love again every single day - to have a person so special that they can remind us of it in every breath, every action ...

But it doesn't happen that way.  And so, I've come to believe that it's important to daydream (exercise sound judgment when deciding where and when to daydream) about your relationship once in a long while - remember why you fell in love in the first place.  I promise, this activity will make you smile.

Now, on to the real stuff: why I love my boyfriend.  Reasons are in no particular order.  

Babe, I hope you read this at some point ...

1. He has the happiest smile in the world
2. He enjoys my quirkiness, and makes a point to remind me of that 
3. When I challenge him, he challenges me right back
4. It makes me happy to wake up and see him beside me
5. His cuddle skills are top notch
6. His hair is awesome (head hair, facial hair, you get the picture)
7. He is patient and relaxed, even when I'm an emotional wreck
8. He makes me laugh :) every day
9. He tries his hardest to understand - not condemn - my tears
10. He embraces my femininity, as well as my moments of tomboyish-ness 
11. He thinks I'm beautiful all the time - in the morning, in tears, half-asleep, makeup / no-makeup, clothed / naked, ranting, relaxed, angry, happy, drunk ... all the time
12. His family is amazing, and he is a reflection of that
13. He is straightforward - sometimes it hurts, but sometimes it's exactly what I need 
14. He is proud of me, and proud to have me
15. He isn't afraid to tell me how he feels about me
16. My health is important to him [MINI STORY: once, I had a panic attack at 3AM.  He woke up and took care of me, and when love and comfort wasn't enough, he ran all the way across campus and back not once but twice to get my inhaler] 
17. He treats me like a princess - carries me, gets me what I need (with a bit of humorous complaint), massages whatever part of me that hurts ... he's a real sweetheart 
18. The sex. Duh (this point sounds a bit aggressive coming after the last point, but whatever) 
19. He encourages me to be independent and confident in myself (still working on that latter, but I'll get there) 

And I'm going to end it there because 19 is an odd number (I hate evens), and because I could never cover all the reasons in one blog post, anyway.  The point of this is to appreciate the one you have - reminisce about why you fell in the first place, and enjoy the other lovable traits you find along the way.  Your person is more than an element of your routine - they are yours.

To my boyfriend: I love you.

x Deven