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I don’t spend a ton of time writing about relationships over on my blog - at least not the romantic type. But leave it to Grace and Small Hands, Big Ideas to bring out the softer side of Matt Chevy.

When I think back to the past year of my life, the center of almost every decision I’ve made has been my fiancé and soon to be wife, Lierin. Getting engaged back in May, moving up to Chicago in June, getting our first place together in August, and now planning our wedding in May of 2010. We’ve been together for almost 5 years now and through it all, she’s been the one person I can and have always turned to when I needed (and even when I think I didn’t need) support.

I’ve seen a common trend among us Social Media/blogging types when it comes to relationships. More often than not - one person is very active online and the other, not so much. That’s exactly the position I’m in. I blog and Tweet all day long, but my fiancé could care less about this world that we’re in - and you know what? I couldn’t be more thankful. Here are a few reasons why…

She keeps me from being a basement-dwelling World of Warcraft loser.

No offense WOW players but seriously, without her, who’s to say I wouldn’t be living in my parent’s basement sucking down Mountain Dew’s wandering around an online fantasy world as a level 57 dark elf mage? Having a significant other who keeps the Internet from totally taking over my life is important because she keeps things balanced - she gives me a slap on the wrist and reminds me that unplugging from time to time is necessary to maintain my sanity (and probably my eyesight).

She reminds me of what matters most

Not that I need the reminder - but overall, Lierin keeps me grounded. She reminds me that the online community I’m a part of may be great, but it’s the “real life” face-to-face relationships that matters most. Friends and family is a no brainer, but I’ve also been able to take a lot of the online connections I’ve made and turn them into solid friendships.

She believes in me, even when I don’t believe in myself

Moving was hard, quitting my job with nothing else on deck was harder, leaving my family behind in Nashville might have been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Needless to say, through all of the transition and change I’ve been through over the past 12 months - there have been a lot of breakdowns, and a lot of times where I’ve doubted myself and my decision making. Every step of the way, in every decision I’ve made she has always been there to say “I believe in you” - she has full confidence in me even when I don’t have confidence in myself. We all need that - we all need that one person, a best friend, brother or sister, parent or relative - someone who will keep us moving and pick us up when we stumble and fall and tell us that everything is going to be OK.

Above all - she loves me for me

I get it. I know that everyone isn’t going to love me all the time, that sometimes I’m going to rub people the wrong way - and as obvious as that sounds, I think it’s one of the things that we often forget as writers and bloggers. We write and communicate and hope that everyone’s going to give us a pat on the back and say “good job” - but folks, that’s not reality.

However, while you can’t ever please everyone, having ONE person who loves you unconditionally, who reads every post you write and tells you that you’re the best writer in the world (even if you know damn well it’s not true) - that, my friends, means everything and the world.

What about you? Does your significant other spend as much time as you do online? Do you think having that “balance” is important?