When we say we hope to find our perfect soulmates, then we are living in a world of disguise because the truth is, perfect doesn't exist. We are not perfect, neither are our significant others. We have flaws, that we wished were perfection, but we must face reality and understand that no one in this world is perfect. Instead, we can visualize what our ideal partner would be like in the future, and wonder if our ideal partner similarly matches who we had envisioned. But whether or not our significant other is as ideal as we have imagined, we know that nothing is stronger than the love we carry for one another.
When I was in my late teen years, my best friend and I would share what our ideal guy be like. My ideal guy was someone who had the brains and the looks. It sounds cliché, but that was what everybody wanted. I wanted my dream guy to be someone who's smart, has a high position at work, so he can make a lot of money for us. Besides that, I was looking for someone who was adventurous, loves to travel around the world with me. I wanted someone who didn't have a lot of baggage, and problems because I was looking for someone who was always happy. I wanted someone who treats me like a royal princess, pampering and spoiling me with simple acts of affection and love. Most importantly, I was looking for someone who was going to love me for me.
I can say that my boyfriend right now definitely does not embodies all of those traits. He doesn't make a lot of money. He works a simple computer eight hours shift job. He is not the adventurous type or the type who loves to travel. My boyfriend enjoys staying home, eating a home cooked dinner and sitting outside on the patio. My boyfriend carries with him too many problems, both personally and financially. Being the oldest in his family, his parents look for him for support, shelter, communication, and love. I know sometimes his parents demand him to do things he does not like, but he still wind up doing it. Not only does he carry personal issues, he has financial problems he bears. Being the oldest, he bears so much responsibility. He has to pay for all the bills,leaving him with little to nothing for savings for our future. Ever since he bought a two story house, way over his budget for his family to live comfortably, he has been swamped with financial stress. Personally, I don't like this house at all because I think its too expensive for my boyfriend to pay alone. I tried to tell him before to buy a reasonable size home, with an affordable price tag, but he insisted that this is his dream home. I knew with that price tag, it would be long till we have a house of our own. Now, my boyfriend has promised me that we will only stay there with his parents for a few years, and then we will sell that place to buy two smaller homes: one for us, and one for his parents.
Because my boyfriend has to carry so many rocks on his shoulders, he's hardly happy. My boyfriend is not the happy person, like I had envisioned him to be. He gets stress and overwhelm with life easily, and he can't vent out on anyone. The one person he always vents out at is me. When I asked him to do something or when I nagged to much, he soon shuts down on me. I blamed his unhappiness on his childhood, growing up in an environment where his parents were constantly arguing, and communication was hardly asked of. His childhood has not only made him become a person who doesn't know how to be happy, but his childhood has made him pessimistic about marriage. Hearing his parents argued everyday, and witnessing his mom's sorrow marriage, made him prolonged marriage with me. I don't like it how my boyfriend uses his parents' unhappy marriage as the basis for our relationship. I wished he can get over it, and cherish the time with me, and not have one of those days when he's sad. When he's sad, he always shuts down on me, making me feel confused and tense out. I tried to tell him before that whatever happened to his parents won't happen to us because we truly love each other.
Sometimes, I hate it when my boyfriend is critical of me and the things I do. His ideal girl is someone who is traditional, cooks and cleans after her husband. I don't mind cooking for him. When we first started dating, I would cook for him, and hide it from my sisters because I didn't want them to know I do so much for my boyfriend. Now, i don't cook much for him because his dad lives with him, making me feel uncomfortable. Ever since we started dating, I've been doing his laundry. I don't do it in the way I prefer, but that's cause we don't see each other much. When he first bought this house, it was filthy. I spent my afternoons mopping the floors, scrubbing the oven and the microwave until it looked spotless, cleaning the sinks and toilets, wiped off every single drawer and lined it with linen paper. I did for him so much when he first bought the house because I felt like it was my new home too. I wanted to make this place our home together,regardless if his family was going to live with us. But no matter what I did or how much time I've put into being the woman who cooks and cleans for her partner, my boyfriend always retorts back with " I have to see to believe". Meaning he has to see that I can cook and clean, in order to believe me. Then what have I been doing all that time?? Sometimes, I feel like my boyfriend is a hypocrite because he expects me to resemble his mom, and be the housewife she excels in. My boyfriend always tells me to not compare, but he always compares my inability to cook delicious foods, and be the housewife he wants. I wished my boyfriend would realize that I can do all of those things because I have done them for him for the past few years because every time he said that, he hurts my feelings. I feel unappreciated and I feel like he just wants a maid more than a wife.
Although my boyfriend is not my ideal guy, and some may suggest that we should break up and go our separate ways, but I won't do that in a million years because I truly love him. I understand that no one in this world is perfect, and I am not going to be on the hunt for that perfect guy. Instead, I'm going embrace who he is and love him unconditionally. I love the way my boyfriend is always so calm, no matter how annoyed he may get, he's still calm. I love how my boyfriend is a responsible man, and because of this, I believe that he will be a great husband and father who will always take good care of his family. I love how my boyfriend spoils me and treats me to dinners, buys me gifts, and takes me on vacations. I understand that he's not a millionaire, and he can't lavish me with gifts endlessly, but I appreciate every thing he has done for me. Most importantly, I love my boyfriend because I know that he truly loves me with all of his heart, and I'm truly happy when I'm with him. My boyfriend truly cares for me. He tries to make me happy, even when he's unhappy. He tries to be supportive of my actions, and he tries to take care of me, even though we aren't even marry. He is a man with responsibility, integrity, and love for me.
No one in this world is perfect,so if we continue to be disappointed that our partner is not perfect, then we are the ones who are selfish enough to shape our partner. Instead, we should embrace their flaws and their strengths. We need to understand that their good and their bad shape who they are now, and we have fallen in love with that quirky, dorkiness, and enthusiastic sense of behavior. We should adore our partners, and be the unspoken person behind our partner's decision in life. Therefore, I know that no matter how many flaws I hate about my boyfriend, at the end of the day, I am grateful to have him in my life. I count my blessing to be blessed with a person like him, and I pray that we can walk this journey till its over together, and I hope my boyfriend feels the same about me.