What I can promise from what I have learned:

I promise to tolerate your taste in music, and even go to a concert with you now and then. (Be grateful. I suffer because I love.)

I promise never to spit in your face when I am trying to demonstrate the latest vocal percussion sound I learned (and that one time was totally an accident, by the way).

I promise not to make jokes or assertions at your expense. “I was only teasing,” is not a good enough excuse.

I promise to try to love your crazyass family, because every family is a little crazy, but I do not promise to buy in to the crazy.

I promise to take your compliments gracefully.

I promise to write you love notes.

I promise not to neglect my other relationships, because you shouldn’t have to be my bestie or my therapist or my critique partner.

I promise I will always think it’s sexy when you load the dishwasher. (I do not promise sex in exchange for loading the dishwasher, although your chances do increase.)

I promise to try to be supportive, even if you’re being kind of a dumbass.

I promise to laugh at your jokes, no matter how stupid.

I promise to keep learning and changing and improving– even if that brings up the possibility of growing apart, because at least it’s growing.