I don’t want to date someone who makes me feel like I am annoying when I text two times in a row.

I don’t want to date someone who makes me feel like I am expecting too much when I ask to hang out every weekend.

I don’t want to date someone who makes me feel like I am bothering them when I go on a rant about whatever has been on my mind lately.

I don’t want to date someone who makes me feel stupid for getting excited when I see a dog across the street or hear my favorite song on the radio.

I don’t want to date someone who makes me feel lesser. Like I am someone they have to put up with. Like I am difficult to love.

I don’t want to date someone who makes me feel like I need to act against my instincts. I don’t want to date someone who I have to hold myself back around so that I don’t come across as clingy or needy or attention hungry.

I only want to date someone I feel completely comfortable around. Someone I’m not worried about annoying by talking too much. Someone I’m not worried about offending with my sense of humor. Someone I’m not worried about turning off by wearing flannel pajamas and fuzzy socks. Someone I’m not worried about losing by being me.

I don’t want to date someone who makes me feel like I am difficult to love, like they are doing me a favor by dealing with me. I don’t want to date someone who acts like I am lucky that they are handling my bullshit instead of abandoning me like everybody else.

I am not a nuisance. I am not a bother. I am not difficult to love — and I am not going to waste my time with anyone who makes me feel differently. I am not going to let anyone lower my self-worth.

That is why I don’t want to date someone who acts like it’s a chore to hang out with my friends or grab dinner with my parents or drive me home after a night out. I don’t want to date someone who thinks of me as a burden they have to bear when they should be thinking of me as a gift they are fortunate to have.

I want someone who puts in effort — not because I asked them to — but because they want to see me happy. Because they think I deserve their full energy.

I want someone who listens to me talk for hours and answers my texts in a short amount of time without feeling like they deserve a reward for it. Someone who treats me well because the alternative never crosses their mind.

I want to date someone who acts like loving me is the easiest thing in the world. Someone who never makes me feel like I’m asking for too much. Someone who never makes me feel like a burden.