A few days ago, a coworker of mine was telling the story about her first date with her boyfriend and how during it, he farted in the car. Now, a couple of years later, they are engaged and planning their wedding. After hearing this story, I thought the fart was kind of romantic despite it being disgusting because he must have felt a connection with her from the start to be comfortable enough to fart in front of her.
Every relationship typically starts with each partner putting an extra amount of effort in order to seem perfect and for awhile, everything about each other does seem perfect. You put so much time and energy into impressing each other and there's so much pressure into making sure that person likes you. However, that's short lived and you soon discover a completely different side to your partner. It's the bad and ugly of the good, bad and ugly.
Burping, farting, picking your nose, eating like a hog, lack of make-up and lack of hygiene all become the new norm. It sounds gross, and it is, but once you hit this level, you know this is love. Expensive, dressed up date nights become movie nights on the couch with sweatpants, greasy hair, no make-up and wine. People talk about this comfort zone as a bad thing but trust me, it isn't. Here are just a few of the many positive aspects of hitting the gross milestone.
1. Conversations don't stop in the bathroom.
If one of you has to use the bathroom, who cares? Some of the best talks are when my fiancé comes home from work, goes straight to the bathroom, and we both sit in there and talk about how our day went. Nothing, even during the most personal times, will stop you two from spending time with each other.
2. You spend a lot less money on dates.
Instead of going on an expensive restaurant and dressing up, fast food and take out become more and more frequent. I would much rather have my $8 Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets than a decent $60 dinner. Your stomach and your bank account will thank you.
3. Farting and burping become a second language.
There's no more holding anything in...literally. Anything gross that comes out of your body becomes an everyday conversation. Everybody farts and burps but it's typically a secretive activity. Sharing this intimate moment with that special someone only increases your connection with them.
4. "Does this look normal?"
There are no boundaries once you hit the gross level of a relationship. You will hear this question weekly about pimples, moles, and in-grown hairs on even the most hidden parts of your body. You end up talking about the most disgusting things about one another and it only makes you love that person even more.
5. There is no pressure.
There is no pressure for anything! I don't feel the need to dress cute every single day. Who cares if I don't shave my legs for two weeks or if you don't brush your teeth for three days? It doesn't make you love the person any less.
Being gross with someone is a good thing because it means that you trust them. There will always be moments of trying to impress each other, but there's a lot less pressure because you know they love you regardless if your hair and make-up is done or if you haven't showered in three days.
Surprisingly, you will find your partner more attractive after reaching this milestone because you get to know the real them. You can't have the good without the bad and the ugly and with all three together, you discover what true love is.
