When You Love Someone, You Care About What They Care About

Opposites can attract. You don’t have to have identical interests. You don’t have to share the same taste in movies or music or pizza toppings. You are allowed to have differing opinions and priorities.

But when you love someone, you care about what they care about. You let them tell you all the details about the season finale of the show they love, even though you have never watched an episode yourself. You let them have the screen when a big game is on they have been waiting to see, even if you don’t understand what the big deal is.

When you love someone, you give them room to rant and rave about the things that matter the most to them. You do not get annoyed because they cannot shut up about a certain topic. You do not make them feel like you could not care less about their interests. You encourage them to talk to you about what is on their mind. You create a comfortable environment where they feel like they are allowed to talk about anything without being judged or ridiculed.

When you love someone, you give a shit about what they give a shit about — but that doesn’t mean you alter your personality in order to mimic theirs. It doesn’t mean you lie about how much you love their favorite band or force yourself to watch every game played throughout baseball season.

It only means you should keep an open mind. It means you allow them to enjoy their favorite things instead of sucking the fun out of them. It means, on occasion, you even choose to actively engage in those things because you love them so much. Because you want to make them happy. Because you are willing to sacrifice a day of doing something you love to do something they love.

Who knows? Even if you normally hate baseball, you might have the time of your life attending a game with them. Even if you aren’t a fan of horror films, you might have more fun than you think going to the cinema together. Even if you don’t enjoy yourself, you’ll get to see your person enjoying themselves, which is almost as satisfying.

When you love someone, you aren’t always going to agree with them, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t good together. Your differing hobbies will give you a chance to learn about something you know nothing about. It will give your mind a chance to grow.

When you love someone, you do not dismiss their passions. You do not tease them for liking something you consider childish. You do not make them feel like like they are weird or like they have horrible taste just because they are different than you.

When you love someone, you respect their interests. You listen when they speak, even if you have a hard time following what they are saying. You support them whenever it comes to their passions because you would want them to do the same for you. You care about what they care about.