Thank you all so much.
Last week, I posted an article about when I realized I was bisexual, and it got a LOT of positive responses. Honestly, I was a little nervous when the article went live, especially about what my family members would think, but it seems the universe was on my side for once.
I was literally bombarded with messages of love and support, and I want to return that feeling. Thank you so much to all the people who liked my social media posts. Thank you even more to everyone who sent me their kind words, whether verbal or through social media.
See also: Coming Out Wasn't Easy, But Now I Can Walk Into Pride Prom With A Smile On My Face
I was trying to think of a way to properly express my gratitude, but the only thing I really have to give is my writing - thus, an idea was born: my last article was pretty heavy, about a relationship that didn't work out, so I want to tell you a different story. In this story, things do work out.
I’m from a Northwest suburb of Chicago, and my boyfriend is back home, waiting for me. We call each night, either to chat, play video games, or just feel a little closer to each other. I am very happy in my relationship – I’ve found a person that helps cheer me up no matter how bad my day is.
He does little things every day for me, like send me pictures of pretty sunsets, or remind me to stop and look at the moon before I go to bed. He helps me slow down in my crazy busy life and enjoy the world around me, something I frequently forget to do. He even makes art per my request (See his space-themed one below).
Truth be told, I’m a planner. My life is one big hectic mess, so I don’t really have a choice – if I didn’t make plans, I wouldn’t be able to get anything done. I guess that’s what happens when you’re an overachieving perfectionist that bites off more than she can chew.
I also tend to have that “if you want something done right, do it yourself” mindset. I get caught up in my work or my projects and I forget to breathe.
On my own, I tend to push my mind and my body to their breaking points – that is, I used to. My senior year of high school, I was super depressed. I was isolated, overworked, and running on three to four hours of sleep each night.
I felt trapped in my life, and things that made me happy, like music or video games, just felt like chores. It took a long time, and a lot of work, but eventually I realized that the only person responsible for all my stress was me.
I was the one expecting so much out of myself, I was the one pushing myself so hard, and I was the one suffering from it. I needed a change, but lucky for me, I’ve always been more of a doer than a thinker.
I started reaching out to people, trying to break out of my lonely shell. And that’s how I met my current boyfriend. He became my best friend during senior year, and somewhere along the way, I fell in love with him.
If you were to compare him and I side by side, you might not see many similarities. I have my whole life essentially planned out, while he takes things one day at a time.
I’m working myself to death here at Marquette and he’s taking a gap year to figure out what he really wants to do. I’m a fire, hot and bright, at risk of burning out, and he’s the water, cool and refreshing, flowing through life.
Did that metaphor make sense? Whatever. The point is we may seem like opposites, but in truth, we balance each other out.
When I’m reaching my wit’s end, he’s there to calm my nerves, a single voice reaching through my sea of plans and overcomplications. When he feels like he can’t get something done, I clear the path for him, teaching him how to take it one step at a time.
If you ask me, that’s all love really is. There’s no such thing as the perfect man or woman. Everyone has flaws – we’re human. You just need to find someone with… compatible flaws? It may sound cliché, but it’s the truth.
Of course, my boyfriend and I still fight. That’s just an inevitability of being so close to someone – you are going to fight. But the important thing is that you fight together, and you come through stronger at the end. At the end of the day, try to find someone who sends pictures of sunsets to make you happy.
