Support. It seems a simple enough word, but it means so much more than what most people think. Support is so much more than being there for someone and more than being that boost up that you think you need. Support comes in many different forms too. It can be a really good bra, or your best good friend. It can be the arms of someone you love, or a nice big tub of chocolate ice cream when you had a shitty day. I have had support come in all these forms and many more. My story and my support starts with one person. A person I wasn’t quite expecting or looking for.

I’ve had so many people come in and out of my life, and a lot of people I thought would be there forever but were just not meant to be. Every person is a lesson and every bad story is balanced out with an equally good one. But then, someone comes into your life and blows all of those away, making you forget the pain, the loneliness, and the hard feelings. It’s hard losing someone you care about and it’s even harder to put yourself back out there and to show yourself to someone again. But, when you meet that person, it is so natural, so perfect.

My support system and my best friend came in the shape of a boy with bright blue eyes, long, shaggy curls, and a tough exterior that gave way to a melted core. The first time we met, I just knew there was something different about him. Cheesy? Yes, I know but I promise this isn’t some "Romeo and Juliet bullshit." This is what I felt and still feel, and I hope you do too one day.

He was just someone I immediately clicked with; no effort was needed (maybe his cute dogs helped but seriously). We talked and hung out for 5 hours that night and it was as if we had known each other for so long. Ever since that night, and few more like that, we became inseparable. It happened so quick and it was so unexpected, I didn’t know quite how to feel but I followed my gut instinct and that told me to go for it.

Four months later, and I cannot even begin to explain how much support, love, and time he has given me. Every event, every free night, every sad day, and every frustrating moment he was there. Sometimes life gets hard and even the smallest things make you want to poke your eyes out and trust me, I do have my fair share of those. Yet, when you have someone beside you, everything seems easier. I can be so stressed and drowning in a pile of my own doubts and he will just give me one of his famous bear hugs and all of it seems unimportant.

I know I am making it sound so simple and sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes I snap or sometimes he does or we both do, but that’s when the support really comes. Support happens when you are at your lowest and your partner picks you up even after you hurt their feelings. I can’t even count the amount of times that I snap a bit and make a comment that is a little short and instead of me apologizing, he does and tells me he is sorry that I was having a bad day.

And support doesn’t just come when the times are rough, it comes when all is going perfectly and he just shows up to cheer you on. He has never once missed one of my events, something that he knew I worked so hard on, because he knows how much it means to me and he wanted to be there to see it.

This is support; support comes in so many different forms and it goes beyond being there for someone on a bad day. You need to be there for someone every day and every moment and always can feel their support, even if they are miles away. I’m writing this as I sit at a wrestling tournament that I have no particular interest in but, I know how much it means to him (though I lowkey got so into it and lost my voice from yelling.)

We support each other and support is the single most important thing in a relationship. If I wasn’t able to feel that love and support at any given point, I would know that something isn’t exactly how its supposed to be. There has not been one moment since we met that I haven’t felt the immense understanding and desire to make me happy at any cost. And I feel the same way, if I didn’t, I would know my whole heart just isn’t into it.

Fight for the people you want in your life and never give up but always remember that there are always warning signs. You can see early on how much someone cares about you, never think that they are masking or hiding feelings from you. People show you who they truly are and you need to be the one who realizes the truth and acts. You either like what you see or you don’t. You cannot change someone and it isn’t fair to try.

Find your support system and never let it go when you do because I don’t plan to, even when we are actually 500 miles apart. I know that I will always feel his love, and support no matter the distance. Support transcends all distance and hardship; when you find that support system, whether it be that great bra, great friend, a boyfriend/girlfriend, or even that big tub of chocolate ice cream, appreciate what you have and always give everything you have no matter what is bringing you down.

To my support system, I love you beyond what I can say in this short article that doesn’t even begin to explain all that you have done for me. Thank you for being you and always believing in me.