In April of 2017, I met my soulmate. Not long after that, I began to understand what true love really is, and I’ve continued to learn and grow in that understanding everyday since.
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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
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You see, I used to have a distorted view on love and relationships. My Stockholm Syndrome with my previous partner of 5 years was strong, and the anger, fighting, jealousy, and confusion I experienced during that time left me with some heavy baggage. Chaos was all I knew, and the bad habits I gained then still effect me today. But once I decided to break free, it felt like I could finally breathe again. I knew I needed to find my independence and wipe my hands clean of the adversity. I vowed that I would never put myself through a relationship of that nature again. But before I could think about future love endeavors, I knew I had to find myself…
My journey of finding myself collided with my finding of Andrew almost 2 years ago. Right from the beginning, it was completely different with him. He drew me in like a bug to a light, and I even felt the sparks. I knew there was a connection between us from the moment we locked eyes, and soon thereafter I fell completely in love with him; with his mind, his interests, his ambition, his genuine kindness and view on the world. There was something about his demeanor, humble confidence, and elusive nature that was so intoxicating to me…and made me want more. Each time he’s opened up to me and shown me his true colors, I’ve grown deeper in my admiration for him. I respect, adore, and appreciate him for for everything he is. All I’ve ever wanted is to be there for him, continue to peel back his layers, uncover his raw potential, and help him reach his goals. Being with Andrew, I have always been proud to stand next to him and marvel in his brilliance.
As our relationship progressed, Andrew started to teach me about true love – simply through the way that he loved and cared for me. Here’s some of what I’ve learned:
True love is a partnership. True love is selfless. True love is admiration; being so in awe and so proud of your partner that you take the utmost pride in their accomplishments. True love is protection; being the first one to stand up for your partner and wipe their tears away when they’re sad. True love is encouraging; building your partner up to the point where they understand how amazing they are so they can take on the world with extreme confidence. True love means not being scared to leap because you know you have a safe place to land. True love knows no bounds.
To Mars and Back.
Andrew once told me, “you don’t have to go through this alone anymore” when I opened up to him about my past, and it nearly broke something inside of me (in the best way possible). He’s the very first person in my life to take interest in my childhood trauma and encourage me to find peace. He’s the only one that’s ever made me feel truly understood, cared for, and like he truly had my best interest at heart. I can’t even begin to describe what those words meant to me or how grateful I am for his support everyday. I’ve made so much personal progress just by having him there by my side, cheering me on every step of the way. My own personal cheerleader 🙂
Andrew not only makes me feel loved unconditionally by him, he also encourages me to feel more loved by myself. I’ve learned through our relationship and through my own personal development that I need to be whole on my own first, without depending on anyone else to give me what I need, before I can fully commit myself to someone else. He builds me up and fills me with so much love, confidence, support and strength, that it becomes extremely hard to doubt myself. I feel understood, and free to be my true self with him. I’m so grateful for that. Andrew James Davidson…you brought me back to life.
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“A soul mate is not someone who completes you. No, a soul mate is someone who inspires you to complete yourself.”
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(what I love about you…)
Andrew is exactly what I want and what I need, by just being himself. I don’t have to ask him to be who I need him to be, he just is; it’s completely natural. He understands me. He knows what I need and he knows me better than anyone. Better than I know myself.
Andrew is loyal and honest. He is of the highest moral character. Probably from all those years of becoming an Eagle Scout, enduring football, and receiving tough love from his parents (similar to mine). I love his family and hearing stories of his upbringing. I love that he knows how to do pretty much everything, from starting a fire to mounting a TV and even sewing a button on. I love that he loves to watch football, create art, and plan our future travels. I love that he lives to learn and currently, is totally consumed by his interests in spreadsheets, data, reporting, systems, analytics. I love how much he loves it. It lights a fire in me to see him pursue his passions. He makes me so incredibly proud.
Andrew, in his kind and gentle nature, encourages me to pursue my dreams. He inspires me to do more, reach higher, keep going. I’ve never felt so excited about the future in my life than I do with him by my side. He’s allowed me to see that our capabilities (and possibilities) are limitless. Through his love and his vision, I feel rejuvenated.
I love that Andrew takes care of so much in our lives without me ever having to ask. He cooks and cleans, hangs our pictures and organizes our…everything. He makes the bed every morning. He does laundry and takes out the trash. Anytime I come home after a long day to see that he’s lit candles and started dinner, already taken out Floyd and put away the dishes…I want to break down and cry tears of happiness. The best part is, is that he does it completely on his own. Not because he’s trying to impress me or earn brownie points, but because he genuinely wants to pitch in around the house. He’s just a good man and he loves our little family, and that thought alone makes my chest tight and warm with emotion.
Most of all, I love that Andrew is committed to reaching for higher heights everyday and I love that he told me “I’ll grow with you, babe”. We are growing individually and together, and although sometimes the roads are rocky and certainly not always easy, we are committed to finding our way and making it through. I know that no matter where we go or what we want to achieve in life, we can lean on each other and lift one another up until we reach our goals. That is the most exhilarating and simultaneously comforting feeling I could ever imagine. I love knowing he’ll always be there.
Andrew is everything I’ve ever wanted and all the things I never knew I needed. I absolutely love our life together. He is the best partner, best teammate, biggest supporter, greatest caretaker, sweetest puppy daddy, and the calmest spirit I’ve ever met. I never want anyone else by my side. And now that I know you’re reading: thank you for everything, baby. You warm my heart. I love you harder every single day.
My sun and my stars. I love you to Mars and Back.
Yours, forever and always,
HP
Diary of a Daydreamer 