This Is The Kind Of Man I Hope You Can Be

I hope you can be the kind of man who smiles.

Listen, I know this world is hard. I know our paths won’t always be in straight lines and there will be days when we just want to close our eyes and let the tears fall. I know sometimes I’ll make you angry and disappoint you. I know sometimes we won’t see eye-to-eye. But I hope you can be, for me, the man who smiles.

The man who sees the beauty in me, beyond my flaws. The man who sees the world as beautiful, even in all the pain. I hope you can see the good in people, in mistakes, in hard times, in defeat, in unanswered prayers. I hope you can be the man who smiles alongside me when we’re broken and tired and aching. I hope you can remind me to never give up.

I hope you can be the kind of man who laughs.

I hope you can be the kind of man who laughs, even when his world is crumbling. The man who tells jokes, who finds the bright side of the worst situations, the man who can get me to giggle even when I’m crying. The kind of man who sees light, and lives light, and becomes light when laughter escapes from his lips.

I know I cannot lean on you for everything. I know you’re not perfect and never will be, and that’s okay. But I hope you can be the kind of man who laughs and teaches me that life doesn’t have to be so serious, so painful, so hard. Especially when we’re by each other’s side.

I hope you can be the kind of man who fights.

I hope you can fight with me when I’m being sassy. That you can show me when I’m dead wrong, and push me to be better. That you can fight because you care. And that when we storm to different corners of the house, you’ll come back to me, apologies written in each kiss, as I do the same for you.

I hope you can fight for me, for us.

And I hope you can fight for things you believe in. I hope you’ll raise your voice for injustice. I hope you’ll stand for what you feel is right. I hope you’ll fight for your life, for your happiness, for a better world with your voice and heart. I hope you’ll fight for love.

I hope you can be the kind of man who is passionate.

I want you to care about things—about work, about friendships, about love, about family, about a hobby, about me. I hope you can be the kind of man who does everything with his whole heart, who doesn’t hold back, who isn’t afraid to love.

I hope you can be the man that tells me what’s on his mind, even if it hurts. The kind of man who is open, even when it’s scary. The kind of man who kisses me when he can’t get enough of me. The kind of man who tells me he loves me. The kind of man who doesn’t hold back.

I hope you can be the kind of man who forgives.

Because I know there will be times when I fail, when I mess this thing up, when I let you down and you’ll start to question why you’re with me. I know I won’t be perfect and I’ll probably say something hurtful or push you away—but even in all this, I hope you can forgive me. I hope you can look into my eyes and see how they’re searching for you, see how my heart is yours, see how much I care.

I hope you can be the man who doesn’t hold grudges against people, who doesn’t seek revenge, who forgives and lets go because that is where true healing begins. I hope you can be the man who loves, rather than hates.

I hope you can be the kind of man who cares.

The kind of man who cares about animals, about people, about those less fortunate, or struggling with poverty and illness. I hope you can be the man who gives his extra dollar to a homeless man, or shares stories with a young child. I hope you can be the kind of man who puts his heart out there for others. Who is open and kind and generous. The kind of man who doesn’t just live for himself.

I hope you can be the kind of man who challenges me.

I hope you can be the kind of man who pushes me to become better, who doesn’t always agree with me, just to keep us from fighting. The kind of man who will be strong to my strength, who will stand firm in his beliefs, who will show me ways to improve and encourage me to take risks.

I hope you can be the man that is imperfect, but wonderful.

The kind of man who doesn’t fear life, but embraces it, and shows me how to do the same. The kind of man I challenge, I push, I fight against, and I love with my whole heart. I hope you can be this kind of man, because I promise to be this kind of woman.

And I promise to love you, all of my days.