8 Ways I Knew I Finally Found “The One”

I’ve been in love dozens of times, and it’s a great feeling. But there’s always been that moment when I realized that the person I loved wasn’t the person I wanted to be with forever — except for one time; the last time. I expected our relationship to end the same way the others had, because all of my relationships seemed to end. But as this love progressed, I started to notice these signs that made me realize that I had finally found “The One”:

1. He broke down my walls. Telling a guy about the emotional workings of your brain can seem like a death sentence for your relationship, so naturally, I covered it up. But he was patient, slowly teaching me to let my guard down. He taught me it’s OK to be emotional, to cry even if I don’t know what I’m upset about. He encouraged me to recognize and communicate my desires, whether it was in the bedroom or what I wanted for dinner.
2. He supported my dreams. No matter how outlandish they were, he pushed me to pursue them. I’m an ambitious woman, always looking for adventure, and he’s always right beside me, helping me decide on the first steps that need to be taken for my journey.
3. I didn’t need space. Whether we were traveling or spending a lazy weekend together, I never felt like I needed personal time. I enjoyed constantly being around him, a sentiment I still have today.
4. I’m completely me around him. Very few people know the real me. He knows that I’m obsessed with integrating movie quotes into every day conversations and that I would have at least 20 cats if I were single. And he’s OK with it.
5. He wanted to learn about what I liked. From the beginning, he wanted to know what I enjoyed, what made thrilled me, what piqued my curiosity, and he made doing those things a priority.
6. He taught me to let go. Before meeting him, I held grudges — grudges against parents, against ex-boyfriends, old friends… Being with him showed me grudges were noise, roadblocks on the path to happiness in our relationship. Only forgiving and moving on can help you fully enjoy the present moment.
7. He was open to changing values. As I learn about the world, my value system evolves to fit how I feel. He doesn’t mind my volatility and encourages always questioning what we believe. As we take on the world together, we often talk about why we feel the way we do.
8. He taught me to try new things. This is the mantra for our relationship: try new things. From cooking techniques to wearing clipless pedals, he introduced me to activities and ideas I may otherwise have looked over. Each new endeavor we’ve taken on together has taught us to be stronger people and a stronger couple.