Falling in love with my forever person taught me how to trust. It taught me that people with soft hearts exist, people who aren’t selfish, people who aren’t only out for themselves. There are people who would never dream of hurting me. People who mean it when they say that they are never going anywhere.

Falling in love with my forever person taught me how to be a better partner. I learned how to show affection instead of hiding my emotions away, instead of pretending to be fine, instead of faking smiles and dodging questions. I learned that it’s okay to break down in front of someone, it’s okay to be vulnerable with someone, it’s okay to show my true self to someone.

Falling in love with my forever person taught me what true love looks like. I learned that those three little words are meaningless without actions to back them up. I learned that real love consists of respect, of effort, of attention. I learned that real love is about the way we treat each other during our worst days, not just during the best ones.

Falling in love with my forever person taught me the importance of friendship. It taught me to date someone I like, not just someone I love. It taught me to date the person who makes me laugh when I’m on the verge of tears. The person who makes me smile with their smile. The person who makes every single day feel like an adventure — even when we don’t leave the house.

Falling in love with my forever person taught me to be less of a pessimist. It showed me that my old view of love was wrong. It made me realize that true love does exist, that people can stay loyal, that I am not meant to be alone.

Falling in love with my forever person taught me how low my standards used to be and how I used to settle for far less than I deserve. It taught me that I was never in the right relationship until now. That I never truly knew what love meant until now.

Falling in love with my forever person taught me to stop being so afraid of the future. To stop worrying about what could happen and trust that everything will work out in the end. It made me realize that there are great things in store for me. That I have so much to be excited about.

Falling in love with my forever person taught me what it means to be in a healthy relationship. It means compromising instead of screaming. It means forgiving instead of grudge holding. It means talking things out instead of keeping secrets. It means working as a team instead of acting like we’re playing for opposite sides.

Falling in love with my forever person taught me what I want from my future. I want to find our forever home. I want to say our vows beneath an alter. I want to grow old together. I want to spend eternity together.