Never Take Him for Granted

Lately I have been noticing how wonderful my boyfriend has been through all my new exercise mania. He is the perfect mix of supportive and encouraging. There is never any heavy-handed bossiness or pushiness, nor any complaints about the daily time it takes. He reminds me often how proud he is of me and how he admires my determination to get a session in every day. When I finish a daily session he’ll ask how long I worked out and tell me what a good job I am doing. As I have increased the length of my daily sessions he tells me how impressed he is with my drive and my increasing stamina. It's wonderful to bask in that acknowledgement and appreciation after working hard ~ an added bonus to completing another session. He does all this without ever making me feel like he is thinking or feeling that I “need to be” or “should be” exercising. He never nags at me before I exercise about whether I will get to it that day. He has also taken an interest in making sure that I have healthy foods in the house and for the lunches I take to work. He is trying to help me expand my horizons with fruits and other foods I have never tried before. In addition, he is always trying to think of clever snacks that will give me that dessert feeling, but are not full of calories and fat. It's obvious that he puts a lot of thought and effort into making sure that I have foods that are healthy but still satisfying. I never feel pushed by him, never feel that he is trying to act as an enforcer or a trainer. He is always just there, being my biggest fan, my most vocal supporter, my most comforting encourager.

I appreciate more than he probably realizes that he has approached my attempt at this new lifestyle in such a generous way. I would not respond well to bossy reminders such as “Don’t forget to work out today” or “It’s getting late, are you planning on working out today?” or "Don't eat too much, you might regret it later". Remarks like these would irritate me and bring out my stubborn side. They might have the effect of taking the wind out my sails. While he probably knows me well enough to know that these types of comments would provoke stubborn Mary, the truth is he just doesn't ever treat me that way. I am grateful to have someone in my life that I can depend on to just be there, to support me in whatever it is I want to do, to encourage me when he senses I need it, and to back off when sensing I need space. It's amazing to me what a difference it makes knowing that I have that support, that he loves me just as I am, that he wants me to do whatever it is that makes me happy. Having that security allows me to try new things, to grow, to experiment, even to fail, because I know he'll love me no matter what. He'll always be there to hold me, to help me up, and encourage me to start again. I have not always been so lucky, and I never want to take him for granted. So if I haven’t said it before, or if I haven't said it often enough, thank you babe. Thank you for being my best friend, my cheering section, my counselor, my shoulder to cry on. You are the best. I am the luckiest girl to have you in my life. I love you! ♥ ♥