“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

These past few days have given my mind a lot of room to wander, feel, and long for the next time I get to feel you, see you and be with you. The act of being with someone, whether it is sitting watching tv in a quiet speechless room, eating dinner across the table from one another, or out being playful hiking or walking around town, has never given me such complete and genuine satisfaction. Satisfaction. A fulfillment of a need or desire; the pleasure obtained by such fulfillment; the source of such gratification. I've had a lot of satisfaction in my life, more instant than not, when it came to relationships. Instant:A very short period of time; a moment. A moment here and gone in an instant, some lasting a tiny bit longer than others, but nothing ever this long.

The meaning of these words satisfaction, gratitude and fulfillment have changed, truly living up to their actual meaning... It's amazing what breathing room in a relationship will give you, a peace of mind,stability and unconditional love and support. Fulfillment and gratitude. I have never recieved a thank you like that before, leaving me speechless (rather difficult to do!) and bringing me to tears of complete fulfillment. Atlas, my partner in crime, my other half, my love has truly appreciated the sacrifices I make in the relationship. Did I mention I've never been thanked like that before? Sacrifices, we all have to make them and have them be made for us to appreciate each other, show our support for one another, and honor one another's dreams, desires, and needs. If we sacrifice honorably, the reward and benefits to the relationship will far outweigh the losses. No matter the dynamics of our relationships, most all of us go into a relationship looking for support, understanding, trust, honesty and love from the other... I was always looking for appreciation...just simple yet meaningful thank yous every so often to remind me that I am being/was being appreciated!

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well."-Voltaire

"Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the gratefully and appreciating heart."-H.Clay