Because I Love You

For a long time,

I was lost.

I was lonely.

I was insecure.

I looked in the mirror

And I hated what I saw.

I was unhappy with who I was

Until the day he walked back into my life.

He made me feel alive.

He made me happy,

Made me whole.

And I fell in love.

I fell in love with his laugh

And his smile

And his eyes.

But it was so much deeper than that, too.

I loved the way he looked at me

It was like he was inspired by me.

I loved the way he spoke about me,

It was like he thought there was no greater person on earth.

I loved the way he held me,

It was like he never wanted to let me go.

I loved the way he listened to me,

It was like he hung onto every last word.

But most of all,

I loved the way he showed me things,

The potential in myself that I failed to see before him.

And I realized -

Our story was about a love between two people, yes,

But it was also about self love.

Being with him taught me that self love is about

Passion

Kindness

Honesty

Interest

Loyalty.

After him,

Even after we went our separate ways,
And he was long gone,

I would look in the mirror,

But I did not feel the same unhappiness.

And when I asked myself

Why I no longer did,

There was only one explanation,

One answer:

“Because I love you.”