Love is not a competition, although I am obviously winning. Everyone wants to be loved, but people don’t always love you exactly the way you want them to. Just like each person has a distinct personality, we express our love in unique ways. Some people show love through food, others through money, some through sex, and others by going through your phone and deleting every name they think might be a threat including your dentist because of those sassy looks given while administering laughing gas. People can be jealous, indulgent, passive, aggressive, honest, dishonest, possessive, oppressive, all in the name of love.

Everyday with The Munch I am teaching her about the nature of love, as she is teaching me. The difference between us is that I have a whole life of experiencing love, and her love for me is nascent… although I don’t think The Munch loved me from the beginning like I did. Her love for me began like a lot of relationships, through an intense interest in my boobs…. But then she eventually learned to love me for me.

Sometimes when we love someone we want to consume them, envelop them with our intensity. The love I feel for The Munch is unlike any other because she is part of me, and reminds me of me which is awesome. I love The Munch like I love the moon, but I know more about how to express love in a way that honors her need for space. She however, will show her love regardless of what I am doing…. Writing a text, in the shower, eating, doing yoga, on the toilet, she will be in my face demanding a hug. I know there will be a day when she will be a teenager and want me out of her room or maybe even be embarrassed to hug me and I cherish every embrace we share, but sometimes it would be nice to poop in private.

(I took this picture this weekend with my friend and I thought it was pretty amazing, if not totally deranged)