Ali Elizabeth

“Because it Matters to You”

There are a lot of little things that make a marriage, a friendship, or a family work. Most of them are just simple choices we make every single day.

Sometimes love looks like coming home after a long day at work, kicking off your shoes, and dreaming about nothing more than your favorite spot on the couch. Then your spouse reminds you that the band they’ve been excited to see for weeks is playing tonight. Do you want to go? Maybe not. Do you go anyway? Hopefully.

Not because you’re suddenly a fan of the music, but because you’re a fan of the person standing next to you.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about healthy relationships is that you have to share all the same hobbies and interests. You don’t. In fact, it’s probably healthier if you don’t. We all need things that make us who we are as individuals.

The important part isn’t having identical interests. It’s being willing to step into someone else’s world for a little while. It says, “I know this matters to you, so it matters to me.”

My husband, Nick, is a perfect example of that. He’s been a Colts fan for as long as I’ve known him. Yet there he is, (not wearing purple and gold) but sitting beside us at Vikings games, cheering along with the crowd. It’s not because he suddenly switched allegiances, but because he knows how much those days mean to me. That’s love.

It’s not about pretending to enjoy every minute. It’s about enjoying the joy it brings someone you care about.

The same is true whether it’s concerts, fishing trips, farmers markets, classic car shows, gardening, or spending a Saturday wandering through antique stores. We don’t always show up because it’s our favorite thing to do. We show up because it’s their favorite thing to do.

Some of my favorite memories aren’t from events I was excited about beforehand. They’re from watching someone I love light up because I was there beside them.

In a world that often encourages us to ask, “What’s in it for me?” maybe the better question is, “Who can I make happy today?”

Love isn’t always found in grand gestures. More often, it’s found in folding chairs at a concert you didn’t pick, in football stadiums cheering for a team that isn’t yours, or in simply choosing togetherness over comfort.

Those small sacrifices have a funny way of becoming life’s biggest blessings.

So the next time someone you love invites you into something that isn’t really your thing, consider saying yes. You may not become a fan of the band, the team, or the hobby. But you’ll become an even better fan of the person you love.