Him

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You know the first day of fall? Not the literal day, but the first day that you finally feel a cool breeze cut through the relentless heat. This is my favorite day of the year. The air is cool. Everyone seems to be in a great mood. You can breathe a sigh of relief that not only is the weather sensational, but the best season of the year is finally upon you (IMO). Football is coming (or if you live in Texas, has already been happening for a month or two), the holidays will be here soon, and a shiny new year is around the corner. 

Being with him has been this feeling every single day. 

I'd like to introduce Ryan. 

I met Ryan at the hospital. On the med-surg floor, things are usually complete chaos. Shift-change is no exception, and in this chaos is where we first met. Kind of. He works nights, so we are on opposite schedules.

​What I knew of Ryan was reduced to overhearing his jokes, always well-delivered and with great reception, saying a brief "hi" in passing, and noticing that he was cute. He looks great in scrubs. 

One weekend I got invited to a dinner. I heard that Ryan would be there and I felt a little excited, even though I didn't really know him yet. From what I could tell, he was a very well-liked, hilarious, and kind person. 

When I walked in the door, we had a moment. The double-take, as we call it. I realized I had never seen his face before un-masked, and I liked what I saw. So did he, apparently. From his double-take. It wasn't long before I had to "lock it in." 

Long story short, life with Ryan feels like coming home after being away for a very long time. He is the most supportive and warm person. His excitement about learning new things and working towards greatness mirrors my own. Through challenges happening in my life, even very early in our relationship, he stood by me and made me feel seen. He loves me for who I am. Even the parts of me that I'm still working on. He is absolutely a light in my life. That first day of fall feeling? That's Ryan.