He and I, him and me,

We are we, as we did agree.

Often times, though, I wish he’d flee

So from his foibles I’d be free. 

I can irk him, he can tire me,

‘N’ eye to eye, we may not always see

Nor share the same passions, or esprit.

He’s an extrovert, while I an intro-, 

He loves golf, but I, the disco.

I fancy warmth, he fancies cold.

He’d rather run but I’d rather stroll. 

He pokes n’ pinches, tries to aggravate,

Yet I can be meaner, at times threaten our fate.

Yet truth be told, if we’d no chaotic spree—

If I were like him and he were like me—

And all we knew was happiness,

If we knew nothing of all this stress…

What would we do in our happy land? 

Besides laugh, sing and dance the can-can?

If all we had was smiles galore, 

Would this not be such an awful bore? 

I must remind me, it depends on me, 

Just how much love is inside of We, 

And that inside his chest is a beating heart,

From which I’d never want to part.

So here I am, with an open chest 

To reveal this heart o’ mine, giving its best.

And so I renew my vows to We,

To he and I, to him and me.

-A poem to Javi

I share this poem with you only because I am confident every relationship shares similar feelings, whether between lovers, family, friends or co-workers. And if it may not be your case, then give it time, my Darling Romantic, give it time. Whatever the relationship may be, all relationships eventually encounter their idiosyncrasies, with their smooth yet also their rougher dynamics too. A good and useful reminder: we’re all human. And sometimes, VERY HUMAN. A trick I use to soften a hardened judgemental heart towards a loved one is to wonder if you’d love them as much without their flaws. You may surprise yourself and discover your answer is NO. Which fundamentally means that the person’s flaws and foibles are also what endears them to you—and what touches your heart about them.

To demonstrate your appreciation and love for another, I present some playful options. For a birthday, you might print a tender image of your Amoroso or Lady-love on a cake or t-shirt (here deployed is the 80s heartthrob symbol). For a parent or a friend, you might try printing all the “faces” of their personality, taping tape them onto a stick for a uniquely rich (yet cheap) embellishment of their cake (here, for my Dad, “El Magnifico,” together with icing in the form of his favorite vices—wine and cigars). You might also consider writing a poem on cake—a note or all the adjectives and phrases that you appreciate in that person (here, for my beautiful mum).