what makes relationships worth it?

I want to go on an Alaskan cruise so bad...yet my bf does not. What do I do? I am willing to go on my own but I don't want to cause a rift, either.

When you're single you become a bit of a social butterfly, landing here and there, having a nice time, spreading a bit of lightness which is great. You always go home alone however and no-one but you knows what your life looks like in its entirity. You're polite conversation here, a giggle there, an annecdote at this party, a flirty presence at that bar. But there's no connectivity. The only person who knows your whole life story is you.

I want to be at the party, doing my thing (whatever that is) and know that there's someone the other side of the room occassionally looking over to see if I'm ok. Someone who knows that I laddered 2 pairs of pantyhose getting ready that night, that I've had a busy week and I'm a bit tired and that I've got to call my sister tomorrow because she's not well. Someone that on the way home will have some little snippet of gossip for me and will listen to the summarised conversations I've been having and will laugh with me about it all. Just little things. Little things that connect my life together in ways I can't do by myself. That's what'd make a relationship worth it for me.

This is a perfect way of explaining it. I've never heard it said quite that way. Maybe that's what is meant when people say their partner completes them... not in a way that they aren't whole as an individual, but that having someone along for whole ride connects all the pieces of our lives together in ways we can't do when we're alone. I really like how you put it.

Or did you want more of a list of things? -- waking up and going to sleep with the same person for the rest of your life! Someone who's there when something really funny, sad, moving happens, to share it with! The in-jokes you develop with each other! Having mutual friends and a bigger extended family. Developing a history together! Not to mention fun, longterm sexual involvement, and oh yeah, love!

I do love those times while in a relationship where ya come home from a bad day at work an your SO will listen to your rants an raves actin like they really know everything thats goin on until you run outta steam, an they do somethin so heartbreakingly sweet that all that BS jus washes away an your so much better for havin them in your life.

Or how bout those saturday nights that ya really jus wanna stay in a veg on the couch while surfin the channels, aint it better when ya have that SO there to cuddle with?

How about knowing that your SO will be there for ya when ya need somethin. It dont matter what that somethin is ... say. .. . a jar that ya cant quite open yaself an poof they do it like it was nothin, or when ya cant really reach that one dish in the very top of the cabinet an you know that you can call on them to reach it for ya.

Its the simple things in life that, you can handle on your own perfectly fine, that havin a loyal SO that will still be willin to do those things for or with you that makes relationships great.

Laughin, always better when someone else joins in.
Kissin, ya always gotta have someone else to make that fun. lol
Huggin, it takes two baby. (now i have that song in my head)
Holdin hands.
Sleepin, yea sure it dont take two, but boy is it nice to cuddle up with your SO an jus relax an sleep.
Dinner, for two?
Sharin a drink, or dessert with someone.

Who else will see you, without the make-up, with tossled hair an wearin your worn out t-shirt when ya jus wake up in the mornin, an still think that you look so sexy that they gotta have a lil more of your time before they'll let ya go to work.

Being in a relationship sometimes jus, rocks.

It's true, it takes compromise and negotiation.

I have one suggestion for the little stuff that can be irritating. In your example you asked about the dinner issue...if he askes don't say "I dunno", say "Let's have x". Be more decisive to stop that "whatever you want", "no, whatever you want". Sometimes you just got to do it.