by Manidoo | Last Updated: February 18, 2024It was the French poet, Rosemonde Gerard who famously said,
“For, you see, each day I love you more. Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow”
I always thought this was an exaggeration until the first day I fell in love with my spouse.
It seems like everyone has their own meaning of love. Some are so afraid to express love, saying the words “I love you” is regarded as one of the biggest deals in a relationship. So much so, there is a debate for couples on when it’s too early to say these three words(Even after months of being together and have done everything but say these words to each other).
Others are so comfortable with expressing it, it’s spoken before even being together. Love comes in all shapes or forms, and it’s often hard to describe universally.
My Description of Love
My family were never afraid to express love. At an early age, I was taught to say I love you to family members before getting to know them. I always saw love as a deep bond that can be done verbally if you want to express it to someone you want to have a lifelong relationship with(Family or friends).
This, is obviously, different from a romantic love. For me, a romantic love wasn’t something I wasn’t able to experience until I met my spouse. I’ve had crushes here and there, but they weren’t anything I could describe as love. Just a small, temporal attraction.
A romantic love was something I knew had similarities, but was different, than a familial or friendship love. What I think is deeper than the latter, but no less significant than the former.
Finding Romantic Love
To say my journey towards romantic love was the most exciting thing in my life would be an exaggeration. It wasn’t a Hollywood story filled with jukebox over the head tropes. It wasn’t a novel requiring me to go on a three-act journey where the reward was the kiss at the end.
Fictional romance is, needless to say, overly romanticized. Something I felt largely appealed to many searching for love, leading many to expect over the top gestures as examples of true love. I didn’t have this over-the-top love. Mine came organically with my best friend.
There were things I didn’t understand when I found the love of my life. People who were single or didn’t have a long-term relationship described my relationship with my partner as weird. We were simply close friends who eventually formed a romantic attraction.
It wasn’t something complicated, it was what made sense. I felt completely comfortable around my spouse, they were the person who I wanted to be around with above anyone else, I didn’t feel like I needed to be better for them but I wanted to grow with them. I found happiness with them. Even when I had the worst experiences in my life, I knew they were there to support me through it all.
All I want for my spouse is their happiness. They are my cooperative in this game of life. There are many difficult adventures and battles we’ve gone through together to figure it out. Many more we know will come. Nevertheless, I could not ask for a better partner to journey with.
I love you, Wabooz.