When love is right, it feels like home. It’s like that feeling when you come home after a long day of work and get changed into comfy clothes, then curl up on your couch to binge your favorite television show. You are home and you are safe. You know where everything is stored and where things are held. You’re not afraid of the closet or the basement or dark spaces, because you know what’s there. A sense of ease comes over you when you walk through the front door and see your space, your things, and your happy place. The sights and sounds are soothing. It’s the feeling of falling into your bed and melting into your blankets and pillows with utter peace.

When love is right, the simplest things feel like grand gestures. It’s when you go grocery shopping and get them their favorite tea. It’s waking up to the smell of coffee when you’re the one who sleeps later. It’s saying “thank you” for cooking dinner and taking out the trash. It’s sharing the better blanket on the couch. It’s giving that other human the last french fry. It’s trying new things because you know that your partner or spouse wants to share their passions with you. It’s going to a “girl’s night” or “guy’s night” guilt-free, because you know that your partner wants you to cultivate friendships, too.

When love is right, it feels like friendship. It feels like your best friend and your best lover are rolled into one human. It feels like laughter has become another roommate in your house. It’s laughing until you cry, it’s laughing at silly things that nobody else in the whole world will think is funny, but it doesn’t matter, because you both get it. You both understand. It’s wanting to spend your free time with that special human and having just as much fun on epic adventures as you do hanging out at home on a rainy day.

When love is right, it feels like the best choice you have ever made. It’s choosing to keep waking up next to that same human for the rest of your life. It’s choosing to trust, to talk, to be honest with yourself and with that other person. It’s choosing to cultivate your partnership or marriage each and every day. It’s choosing to show up for them, and it’s them choosing to show up for you.