When you love someone, there are always little things about them—gestures and mannerisms that they might not even notice—that will make your heart swell with affection.
When I think back to the people that I was in love with, it's not their Big Five personality traits that stick out so much as tiny details, like the way their brown strands of hair fell just over the rim of their glasses, or the way they shook the watches on their wrist when they were nervous.
The phenomenon isn't limited to romantic partners either. Whenever my dad makes the same stupid joke about opening up a bottle of wine ("A very familiar sound") or my roommate complains about the pigeon poop on the windowsill ("They've got us surrounded"), it never fails to remind me of just how much I love them. In many ways, that's what love is—an affectionate acknowledgment of the unique traits that make another human being so special.
On Wednesday, novelist Rachel Griffin asked people to tell her "something random about a person you love that makes you smile every time you think of it." Her personal example?
"Whenever my husband sees a dragonfly, he watches in amazement and says in a tone of respect, 'They're such accomplished fliers.'"
Soon, the responses flooded in. Like this Twitter user who only recently realized that the reason her microwave always stopped at two seconds was because her husband didn't want to wake her up while he was making breakfast.
For a long time, I didn't understand why our microwave was always stopped two seconds before the end. Then I learned that my husband didn't want his heating up his breakfast to wake me up so he'd stop it just before it dinged.
He's a keeper.— Amelia Brunskill (@ameliab) December 5, 2018
Or this woman who finds it super cute when her mother mixes up common brands (my dad does the same thing, and whenever he refers to "chickpeas" as "cheesepeak," it never fails to make me smile).
My mum gets the names of common brands mixed up – she refers to Mozilla Firefox as mozzarella Firefox
— Alyssa G. Lobo (@filmibaby) December 7, 2018
This mom loves it when her otherwise surly teen lights up upon seeing a dog.
My high schooler is so chill and unimpressed with the world in general but every time he sees a dog his face lights up and in a babytalk voice says, "Oh, a floof!"
— Kari Cole (@KariColeAuthor) December 7, 2018
Apparently, this is a theme.
Each time my daughter sees a dog being walked by its owner, she stops and says "aww, that dog looks so happy". She's so delighted by their joy. She's 16.
— Anna Passmore (@Anna_Passm82) December 6, 2018
This woman smiles whenever she sees the Eiffel Tower because of the one time that her dad called her from it so she could "be there" with him and her mother.
My dad called me from the top of the Eiffel Tower when he and my mom went to Paris. He said it was so I could be there with them. I smile every time I see a photo of the Tower now because of that moment.
— Seege (@SeegeVega) December 6, 2018
And this Twitter user finds it hopelessly sweet that her husband only sings along to a song when he's about to change the station.
The way my husband will sing along to a song only when he's about to change the station, like he's testing its worthiness.
— Beth Vrabel 📚 (@beth_vrabel) December 6, 2018
In a double-whammy, this woman loves that her dad hums a little song when he's not sure he's going the right way and that her husband uses the same voice with their kids as he does with adults.
my dad hums a little song when he's driving and is unsure about whether he's going the right way
my husband speaks to kids in the same tone of voice & using the same vocabulary with which he would speak to an adult, like: "interesting, jack; tell me more about sponge bob"
— Kate Clayborn (@kateclayborn) December 6, 2018
And this Twitter user finds it adorable that her husband buttons every other button first and then goes back to fix the ones in between.
My husband buttons every other button on his shirts and then goes back and does the ones in-between. If I ever write a book, a character is going to do that.
— M (@mrlcurry) December 7, 2018
This woman can't get over the fact that her nephew asked to take his little sister to kindergarten to show her off immediately after she was born.
The second my nephew met his little sister, still in the hospital, he asked if he could take her to kindergarten to show her off. ❤
— Carolina 🎄🎁🎅 (@wutheringreads) December 7, 2018
And then there are the rituals that you share with someone you love that make you love them even more.
I can text a random movie quote at my daughter, and she'll immediately follow up with the next line of the movie. We have entire conversations this way. lol
— Rhonda Merwarth / Delilah Gray (@RhondaMerwarth) December 6, 2018
It's not just humans either. Some people shared the things that theit pets do that make them feel overwhelmed with affection.
The humans in my life are pretty great but nothing tops the look my black cat gives me when he wants to play fetch.
— Belvedia (@belvedia) December 6, 2018
So if you're looking for proof that love does, in fact, exist in bounds, you can read the entire thread.
All of these stories have totally brightened my day, thank you so much for sharing them. I tried to keep up with my mentions but I know I missed a lot. I'm sorry if I missed yours! Friends, if you need some cheering up, read through the replies of this thread! ✨
— Rachel Griffin (@TimesNewRachel) December 6, 2018
And for more proof that love is real, don't miss these amazing "how we met" stories that will melt your heart.
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Diana Bruk Diana is a senior editor who writes about sex and relationships, modern dating trends, and health and wellness.Read moreRead This Next10 Secrets For Keeping Your Wife Happy
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