Date a girl who loves life. She smiles as people pass her on the street. Everyone on her block knows her name… and she know theirs. When someone sitting next to her on the train strikes up a conversation, she listens to them… even when she suspects they might be crazy. Sometimes she laughs with them, sometimes she gives them advice, and sometimes she is so moved by their story that she runs home and tells you. She remembers every detail. This is also obvious by the small gifts she gives you, buying you a toy you mentioned Santa forgot when you were a child.
Take her to the park and she’ll take a photo of the trees to remember the leaves in the winter. Walk around the block with her and she’ll notice something new even though you’ve walked past the same spot hundreds of times. Spotting a table in a trash heap, she’ll take it home and turn it into her treasure. She sees something special while most people just pass on by.
You’ll know a girl who loves life by her laugh. She is smiling most of the time. Make her laugh and laugh along with her. When you talk to her, she looks into your eyes. She makes you tell the truth, she helps you to be yourself even when you’re not sure who that is, she doesn’t let you get away with the things others girls do. And you love her for that even when it really pisses you off. She’s also OK when you piss her off, admitting when she’s wrong and standing her ground when she’s not.
She loves to paint even though she’s terrible at it. Tell her that her paintings are beautiful. Encourage her to do the things that bring her joy. Paint along with her. Write her a poem even if you are not a poet. She will tell you that she loves it and she will mean it. Tell her embarrassing stories, show her your weaknesses. She will never laugh at you or make you feel insecure.
She’s dated a republican investment banker, a barista who deals pot, a Turkish-Puerto Rican lawyer, a runner-up from a well-know reality show, and a woman… because she fell in love with who she was… as a person. She does not have a type. She is able to see the good in everyone. And while she holds a spot in her heart for all her past loves, you know those experiences have allowed her to give her entire heart to you and you take solace in the fact that if you leave, there will be a spot for you too.
She’ll fall in love with you even though other men have hurt her and lied to her and deceived her, because along with each moment of pain and hurt and deceit came many more of sharing and faith and laughter. She’s in love with love even when the pain of losing love can seem so unbearable that she will surely die if she goes through it one more time. She’s open to it… because at least she will have loved before she dies. So don’t hurt her. Treasure her and value her and tell her that you treasure her and value her. She will always tell you.
Find a girl who loves life and she might kiss you on the 6th date, make love to you on the 1st date, or tell you she loves you on the 3rd date. There is no rhyme or reason behind these decisions. She is not defined by anyone’s rules. She makes her own. She listens to her gut and her feelings dictate her actions. This gets her in trouble sometimes, but she’s OK with that.
When a girl loves life, she’s happy most of the time, but she cries in times of loss, gets angry when she sees injustice, frustrated by intolerance, and is terrified by how powerless she sometimes feels. Then she finds the strength to move on, speak out against what’s not fair, and takes satisfaction in the small changes she can make all around her. This is what truly makes her happy. Help her make these changes and you will be happy too.
Date a girl who reads and writes and eats and travels and runs. She plays roller derby and paints and swims and does samba. She’s a nurse and a teacher and a non-profit executive. Sometimes she runs the world and other times she just sits on her couch watching reality television, eating cheese, drinking wine, and gossiping with the women in her life. She can’t be placed in a box. She’s happy doing ALL of these things.
And that is why you should date a girl who loves life. She’ll support you when you’re down, show you the most valuable of things when you’re poor, give you her strength when you’re sick, and put you in your place when you’re wrong. You will know that she will be there for you forever if you let her, but only if you’re worthy.
