Love is a beautiful thing. The feelings we get when we see the person we love looking back at us are magical, and really hard to find in any other place. (I’ve heard people say that they want someone who looks at them the way they look at the waiter bringing their food, but I think that’s a little weird, myself.) For the longest time, I actually thought that loving someone who loved you back was a total myth, and people just settled for someone who was interested in them. Then again, I think I was ten when I came up with that theory, so maybe that explains some things that are wrong with it.

Love is also an ugly thing, though. It involves seeing the ugliest parts of someone and choosing to stand by their side anyway. It involves caring for them when they’re not able to care for themselves, and it involves giving up things that you thought were important – until something more important came along. Love involves kissing them, even when they’ve got the worst morning breath in the world, and kindly reminding them they need to brush their teeth. It involves putting up with things you wouldn’t even tolerate from yourself – but accepting them as a part of that person.

There are a million things that you’ll do for the woman you love – how many are you doing now? Do you have more to add? Share them in the comments!

1. Clean up her puke.

Vomit is gross – but if your love is sick, you’re probably going to clean it up, and then complain about it to her later, when she’s not sick anymore.

2. Pick up after her.

Sure, just like the vomit, you’re probably going to complain about this one later, but you’ll do it if you need to.

3. Change your plans.

I’m a stickler for concrete plans – so if I actually switch my plans around for someone, I really care about her. Other planning fanatics will probably agree.

4. Work things out.

I used to be notorious for walking away at the first sight of trouble. When it’s love, you don’t do that – you try to find a happy middle-ground.

5. Watch her favorite movies a hundred times.

So her favorite movie is The Notebook and you’d rather be watching Night of the Living Dead. You compromise… And watch The Notebook. Twice.

6. Pop her back pimples.

This one’s pretty gross, but if your woman can’t reach a pimple that’s getting pretty uncomfortable, who else is she going to get to do it?

7. Listen to the same stories repeatedly.

You already know the story word-for-word, but the way she tells it is just so cute…

8. Question yourself.

You’ve always been a carnivore, but your love is a die-hard vegan… So you wonder if maybe it’s better. You wouldn’t even try this for anyone else.

9. Show her off.

Maybe no one else understands what you see in her, but that doesn’t stop you from introducing her as your better half.

10. Trust her with your darkest secrets.

No one else knows that you wet the bed until you were 7, or you once accidentally set someone’s treehouse on fire, or that you used to sneak the Victoria’s Secret catalogs out of your neighbor’s mailbox… But she does.

11. Dress up in a style that’s not exactly your own.

So your girlfriend prefers butch women, but you couldn’t be more feminine. Every now and then, you’ll throw on something she likes, because she likes it – even if you think you look ridiculous.

12. Protect her at all costs.

Even if you’re not the protective type, chances are, you’d do anything to make sure your love stays safe. Hopefully it never comes to that, but you’re ready – just in case.

13. Share your pillows.

For the longest time, I owned one pillow. When I got with my partner, I let her use my pillow – and I cuddled up to her instead. It wasn’t perfect (and now I think we have about a dozen different pillows), but it’s something I’d never do for anyone else.

14. Kiss her with morning breath.

This is one of the grossest parts of a loving relationship – but she’s still just as amazing when her breath smells like death as she is with fresh, minty pearly-whites.

15. Deal with her under-the-blanket farting.

This is another one that’s pretty gross, but hey – you can’t always help when you’ve got to pass gas… Especially when you’re sleeping. You love her, so you’ve learned not to pull the covers over your head at bed time.

16. Buy/make her gifts, just because.

We tend to get gifts for people for a multitude of reasons. But for the woman you love, that’s all the reason you need: You love her!

17. Pet-sit, even though her pet is a jerk.

Your girlfriend has to go out of town for six days and needs someone to watch her evil cat or her rude parrot? Not a problem – you know how to handle the situation without pulling a Tanya. (This is a The L Word reference, by the way.)

18. Introduce her to your family.

Once we move away from home, it’s not really necessary for our parents to meet everyone we’re with – but for the woman who means a little something special, you’re going to bring her back to the house and make sure your whole family knows how important she is.

19. Change your name.

This one isn’t universal, and there are a number of good reasons to not change your name. Likewise, there are a good portion of people who wouldn’t mind changing their last name even if they didn’t get married. (I almost changed my last name when I was 16, but decided to wait until I finally get married instead.) But, for the woman you love, it’s likely to be on your mind, at least in passing.

20. Be a better person.

While the best changes come from within, the love of a good woman can inspire you to be the best version of yourself. If you’re not motivated enough on your own, let her be your light.

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