It’s my love’s 50th birthday today. Whenever I talk about him, it’s easy to make it all about me. He did, after all change my life–not just for being such a good partner, but for giving me the push I needed to get into therapy and onto medication. If he did nothing else ever, I’d be forever grateful.

But he does so much else, every day. He’s constantly checking in with his friends, our friends, work friends, family (including mine). He loves to learn things–anything, from history to how things are made to what actor made a cameo in that series. For him, I think it’s a way to connect even more with other people and appreciate how smart humans can be.

He is the fairest person I know, but he won’t tolerate cruelty. He holds himself to the highest standards of all, which can be tricky (I speak from experience) but he gives the people he cares about so much benefit of the doubt.

He’s the wokest bae, classically handsome, the literal strong and tall man of my dreams. Happy birthday, honey. I love you.