With my one year anniversary coming up on the horizon, there are a few things I've learned about being in a relationship. This was my first steady and serious relationship, so I walked into it a little bit blind. Now, a year later, I can say that I've learned a few things about relationships.
1. You're going to argue.
I argue more in my relationship than most, because, well, I like to argue and debate about things (sorry dear). Regardless, you're going to argue. You're not going to agree on everything. Arguments/Disagreements are not the end of your relationship. They're a time to point out something that's bothering you in your relationship. It's healthy to argue and it means that you care. Obviously, if you're arguing almost everyday or your arguments last for days, it's not so healthy. Arguing here and there about things isn't such a bad thing.
2. You need to be patient.
My boyfriend is so incredibly patient with me it's ridiculous. He puts up with a lot of my crap and still loves me through it. You have to be patient. There are going to be times where you're at the end of your rope, but you just have to hang on. Patience is such an important thing in a relationship. You're both going to do things that drive the other nuts, but you have to be patient and ride it out.
3. You need to take interest in each others' interests.
Don't knock it until you try it. You may think your SO's interest is weird, random or even silly, but you never know until you try it. I never thought I would be building Lego sets in a million years, but now I get excited when he gets me a set. It helps if you already have similar interests, obviously, but taking interest in new things is fun. It's like a little adventure and you get to see the way your SO's eyes light up when you are fully interested in their interests.
4. The romance won't die, it will change.
A lot of people talk about how "they stop doing the they did in the beginning of the relationship to get you" and how if that happens, you should leave that person. The fact of the matter is that the romance doesn't die, it just changes. Those things to get you, like give you flowers, chocolates, etc. because they are outward signs of romance and love. Once you're together for a while, it will change. It can be a hard adjustment because you may feel like they don't care about you anymore, but its not true. Now that you're in a relationship with them, they don't need to do those things because they have you and are comfortable with you. I'm not saying they won't ever do them again, but it won't be as frequent. The love will be shown in different ways, such as letting you pick whats for dinner, spending time with you, cuddling, etc. It can be hard to see at first, but once you understand it, you'll see little signs of love in all places.
5. Compromise is key.
It's no fun if one person is always getting their way. There may be places you don't want to go or things you don't want to do, but that's why there's compromise. It's important to reach a middle ground with your SO. Compromise is an easy way to make both of you happy without upsetting the other. Flat out saying "no" can be far more hurtful than saying, "well, how about this...".
6. Just love with everything you have.
Don't spend the majority of your relationship thinking its going to end in disaster. If you think that way, you may be putting an end to a really good thing. Just trust your gut, love wholeheartedly, and be crazy in love. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. If it does, you'll be thankful you spend your time being crazy in love.
