2017 is a big year for my relationship. My partner and I will be celebrating 10 years together. Every year for our anniversary I usually make from scratch a really heart felt card that gushes about all the reasons why I love him so much and what makes him and our relationship so wonderful. I love making these cards but last year, to be honest, I just got kind of bored with them. Don’t get me wrong, as our relationship is ever growing and evolving I can always find new reasons as to why I love and appreciate him so much, but last year I just felt like doing something different.

I was reflecting on what it’s like to live with someone, and I mean on a really human level. We live with people almost our whole lives, we live with our parents or guardians growing up, we live with siblings, we live with roommates, we live with our spouses. Living with other people is a never ending test of compromise and acceptance, and as much as we love the people we live with, let’s face it, they are always going to do things that maybe drive us a little bit crazy… That being said, last year for our 9 year anniversary I decided not to write my partner a lovey-dovey card but instead to write him a card that celebrated 9 things he does around the house that drive me crazy me but I still love him just the same. Looking back on this card, this is my favourite thing I wrote:

Sometimes you’ll just start playing guitar when I’m already listening to music.

LOL.

When I was writing that card I was thinking about the importance of recognizing that perfection doesn’t exist and to love someone is to love them unconditionally despite their quirks (and trust me I know I have plenty of those too). This year, as our 10 year anniversary approaches I’m reflecting a lot on the absolute rawness of being in a relationship- being imperfect, vulnerable, and emotional and sharing that with someone you love. That is a beautiful thing.