I don't want to change you...

I don’t want you to change because of me…

She says, or something so close to this it makes no difference.

And it’s true. I don’t want YOU to change because of ME, but what if I change exactly because of you?

What if that’s what love is? I will never be who I was before I met you, and I will never be who I would have become if I never met you, so what if change is the point? What if we’re meant to change each other? What if I want to be changed into the man that you’ve helped shape? What if I want to be the man you helped build? If left to my own devices, I would continue to develop into being MY version of myself, but I do not want that; I want to be YOUR version.

• The version of me that was encouraged to go to the gym when I didn’t want to.

• The version of me that saved money by not going out to eat or drink to prepare for our family’s future.

• The version of me that took your advice and called out for a sick day to get over my cold.

While these are just a few small examples, this is where I believe love & life live. The majority of life is in the moments that don’t even cross your mind. The small moments that often don’t get a second thought until they become memories.

Love is not forcing someone to change.

It is bringing your presence to someone and letting them discover they like themselves more when they are with you.