“Donned in three shades of blue
You count your encased shamrock pin as your element of St.Patrick’s Day attire”…- snippet from the post that started it all https://medium.com/@emily-sto/the-boy-with-the-tea-cup-and-matching-saucer-2c891effdb3a
From the moment that I met him, he captured my brain in such a way that all I could do was write about him, publish it, and intentionally try to hold myself back from thinking that he would be interested in me. Yet, here we are; going on six years later, I am editing these words in the home we share. Not only have I written about the night we met, but I have also written about reconnecting after and the strategically “chill-girl” message that I dropped into his Messenger inbox. I even wrote about our first 5(?) kisses because I was terrified that he would some day get bored, and I never wanted to forget this beautiful, kind man. I have compared our relationship to the Taylor Swift song “Lover” because I could connect every line to us. There are other snippets that I have never written down, photos with no context, and a million spoken and texted “I love you my darling.” However, in honor of our six years of knowing each other (and also because I do not need an excuse, but this is convenient)….may I present to you another cheesy ode to the man that I love with “He Gave Me Music”…
Every morning with you has a rhythm- my five alarms go off, I unfold myself out of bed to start the water boiling process for my French Press coffee. About ten to fifteen minutes later, you wake, you do your Duolingo lessons, etc. Unless of course, one of my five alarms stirs you, and twenty minutes later, I finally am over the little chirping alarm sounds. Regardless of how it begins, it always ends the same- I set my Spotify que, turn on the radio you set up for me, and hop into the shower.
In our first years of being together, you once told me that I was often humming a song unconsciously. You never understand the music I listen to for the most part; however, you know that music to me is community, joy, nostalgia, dancing, and fun. You know that music is often a cherished experience from my past and in my present. You gifted me music in the one place I often was not able to play music. This is nothing to say of the gifting of my first record player (and bestowing a shared custody over the second one.)
On a poetic note, when I think about what you have brought to my life, I compare these elements with much cheesy sentiment to genres of music…
The whimsical fun that you inspire in me and bring to life within me, even just when you are being yourself is as sweet as that pop song that will bring everyone to the dance floor. I am much more outwardly the bubbly, the hardcore, and/or the untamed feisty within me because of your love and encouragement.
Our co-working, co-conspirator team up on projects, parties, and loving our friends is as hardcore as a rock song. When we are on the project and/or task, there is no relenting, there is nothing too difficult for us. We are driven like a metronome-level beat and work in-sync like a good bass player and drummer.
The slow moments that we have in the in-between adventure times are as beautiful as 10pm jazz. It is never dull or grey, but rather the kind of music that you just slow dance to, un-choreographed, swaying together, unhurried. These tiny moments, when my knitting needles are clinking together, and you are pouring your fifth cup of tea remind me that deep rooted love is both the flashy adventures and the perceived but never actually mundane with the one you adore.
Lastly, I think about indie-alternative-singer/songwriters and the unexpected. You never cease to surprise me (legitimately, you will share facts about your past or things you love that I am constantly unaware of), you speak to the heart of me, and while we are still two individuals, I feel tethered to you, and I hope for a lifetime of adventures with your arm wrapped around mine. You have filled my world with music, and in the words of Emma Stone, “you have turned (my) life technicolor. I love you bigger than the whole sky.”
