I win

A very few hours from the time I write this will mark the moment at which my life changed course. Early on the morning of April 1st, after many hours together and many kisses exchanged, I told Megan that I wanted us to see one another exclusively. She agreed.

The next day, she greeted me by saying: I just realized that it was after midnight; was that an April Fool's joke?

Cruel.

Fourteen years since that time have seen many, many things. The moments that we couldn't be less compatible blend seamlessly into the moments in which we are clearly perfect for eachother. I know for sure that I adore her; that my love for her makes me stronger than I truly am, better than I thought I could be, and acutely aware of how far short I fall.

She is grace and truth. She is light and beauty. She is compassion and love. She is impossibly frustrating and the only person for whom I will jump through a hoop. The only one. It is she that I respect and it is through her respect for others that I have learned down these years to find beauty in the human condition. Without her example, I would be trapped in bitter potential unfulfilled. With her as my beacon, my life has been filled with the beauty of those around me; beauty that I had not learned to see before she showed me.

Because of her, I can joke without tearing someone else down. Because of her, I am not mean-spirited. Because of her, I do not hit my children. Because of her, I do not hit my wife. Because of her, I appreciate others. Because of her, I can be proud of what I have done. Because of her, I know I can.

It was a big chance that she took on me. Very big; and because she took it, I win.

I win.