I found Ryan on Craigslist. I was looking for someone to be a rebound after breaking up with my last boyfriend. Later he told me he had replied on whim as a personal writing assignment. It should have been a total joke. I remember his completely open attitude and playing DDR on our first date thinking I would never end up with this guy. He was too brazen! But every time I thought I found something I didn’t like about him, somehow it would be fine. He doesn’t know boundaries! (As he pulled me through the back doors to meet the band). He’s a total hippie! (As he’d hide knick-knacks in a shoe box for me and call it treasure). He’s too childish! (But we’d both hop on a playground train and let the kids steer us to the other side of the world).

When he couldn’t understand why I’d get upset about him not worrying about me he came back with a Mario star to keep me ‘invincible’. Instead of being protective, he was always the one to call over to me “C’mon, let’s do this!” The world would turn a different colour when he smiled so big.

He would take over a task before I could finish asking for help. He keeps his promises. And when we argue I always here the honesty in his voice.

We’ve been together for 10 months but I’ve been in enough relationships to know this natural love carries on and I doubt I could get much happier than this. All the little things other people miss is an entire world of fortune to him. Every person an opportunity for friendship. Or knowledge. It is an entirely different way of living that I wouldn’t do without. And I hope to keep sharing this with him everyday.

Danny