.265 Alejandro Alba

This was inevitably going to be both the easiest and hardest piece to write for this project. The easiest because there’s so much to write. The hardest because there are looks Alejandro gives me, feelings in my heart, and moments we have shared that no words across all languages in the heaviest of dictionaries could even come close to accurately describing. Which, to me, is actually quite a beautiful thing.

If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that as my boyfriend, my partner, and my best friend, Alejandro has not only changed my life but he has become my life. Looking at him is like staring at the moon. His face, his eyes, and his smile run constant circles in my mind and my heart. He is the beautiful mystery and impossible-to-solve puzzle that I feel deeply privileged to connect and exist with each and every day.

With an incredibly complex and uniquely bright mind, Alejandro teaches me in ways that I never could have imagined. He’s his own world of intrigue, passion and intelligence that I get to explore. His skills, eloquence and raw talent are matched only by his goofiness and kind heart. Alejandro treats everyone with respect and he listens deeply and intently, better than anyone I’ve ever met. He’s wildly driven and has enough ambition to last several lifetimes. I am constantly drawn to his willingness to get back up after he’s fallen down, and that resilience has carried him through some of the toughest times. Alejandro understands me, sees me, and supports me even when I don’t support myself. He’s caring, dutifully loyal to his family and friends, and he never takes anything for granted. He reminds me every day through his actions that life is worth appreciating and should often be spent outdoors overlooking a beautiful landscape in awe.

Ale, thank you for us. Thank you for making blue and green mean so much more. Thank you for the way you sing songs but sometimes don’t know all the words. Thank you for not letting that stop you from singing those songs. Thank you for the way you look at me and the way you kiss my forehead. Thank you for your goofy outbursts and for your intricate knowledge about everything from the Black Eyed Peas to propagation. Thank you for the way you take care of me when I’m sick, and for how you have led the way with taking care of Amigo. Thank you for every delicious meal you’ve made us, but especially for the way you focus and travel through your mind and heart while you cook. Thank you for being so enthusiastic about playing games and for the passionate way you act out charades. Thank you for always being honest with me and for always pushing me to be honest with myself.

I’m grateful for your stunning brain and for your heart that shows me love each minute of every day. I’m grateful to bear witness to the magic that is your tenacity and determination. I’m grateful for your diligence and dedication to always learn, to always read, and to always put in the work and follow through. I’m grateful for your outstanding creativity and the ideas you come up with. I am in constant awe of how hard you work and how insatiable your hunger is for exploring more of what the world has to offer.

I’m grateful for all of our inside moments, jokes and memories. I’m grateful for the way you look at me. I’m grateful for the way you speak to me. I’m grateful for the way your hand feels in mine. I’m grateful for every single piece of you that makes you the courageous, loving, gentle, handsome, and kind man that you are.

The more I write this, the more I realize how much I could (and want to) say. I’m going to pause, however, because I know I’ll have ten more things to say about you by tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that. And I promise to keep telling you about them and why you matter.

I am in love with you, Alejandro, and now anyone who reads this will have just the tiniest window into our ongoing story. I’m already grateful for tomorrow.

-B