by Laurie Miles

Created on: June 10, 2009

I wasn't looking for love when I met him. I didn't want to deal with anything more than a dinner date. A little casual sex would be okay too. Things didn't quite turn out that way though and now the reality sets in.

Love can be messy. It is not always warm and fuzzy. It most certainly does not always keep you warm on a cold winter's night (flannel does that). The reality of love is oftentimes mundane, day to day and occasionally boring.

Love is farts, belches, nose picking and bad breath. This is not gross. Bodily functions are a fact of life and the truth is we hide all of these bad habits and mannerisms when we are dating because we want to impress. We go out to dinner, get indigestion because we hold it all in, then when we marry, we let it all go. Friends and family then get to listen to us complain that the honeymoon is over.

Love is being comfortable enough to let my S.O. see me at my worst and be confident in the knowledge that he will still love me anyway.

Love is being too tired to have sex, and not afraid to admit it for fear I will offend him (although this has never happened because I am never too tired).

Love is doing laundry, washing the cars and going to the grocery store. It is cleaning the house and balancing the check book.

Love is yard work, painting the house and getting an oil change in the car.

Love is listening and talking; texting and emailing throughout the day. It is making sure he has his favorite yogurt in the refrigerator and being appreciated for doing so.

Love is making coffee a little weaker than you like it because he likes it that way.

Love is when he is out running errands and calls me before he gets home to see if I need anything.

Love is consideration, respect and my favorite bagel on Saturday morning.

Love is when he brings me coffee in bed with a scoop of ice cream in it, just because it's Sunday.

Love is when he gets on his boots and helmet and takes me for a motorcycle ride.

Love is chaos and humor without which, I would be absolutely miserable.

Real love is cooking dinner, watching a little television and then going to bed because it's a work night and we have to get up at 5:00 am.

I think we are too quick to turn our backs on love when it doesn't happen the way we imagine it will.

There is plenty of room for love in the everyday world we live in. The problem is thinking outside the box enough to open the door and welcome it in.

I am willing to make the adjustments necessary to have love in my life, in all its splendor.

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