Sometimes, love reveals itself in the smallest, most unexpected gestures. It doesn’t always come wrapped in grand romantic surprises or expensive gifts. Sometimes, it looks like a husband standing in the feminine care aisle of a grocery store, staring at a wall of sanitary pads, determined to bring home the right ones for his wife.
Last month, I found myself in that familiar situation where I realized too late that I had run out of pads. It was late, I was already in pajamas, and the idea of dragging myself to the store felt unbearable. So, with a sheepish smile, I turned to my husband and asked, “Honey, could you go get me some pads?”
Without hesitation—no awkward jokes, no rolling his eyes, no pretending he didn’t hear me—he simply said, “Of course,” grabbed his keys, and headed out the door.
Now, if you’ve ever sent a man on this kind of errand, you’ll understand why I wasn’t expecting much. Most women have a story of a boyfriend, husband, or brother who came back with the wrong brand, the wrong size, or something completely off. It’s not malice; it’s just that to someone who’s never used them, the endless rows of nearly identical products are overwhelming.
So when my husband walked back in twenty minutes later holding the exact brand and size I always use, I was floored. I blinked at the bag, then at him. “How on earth did you know which ones to buy?” I asked, half laughing.
He shrugged like it was the easiest thing in the world. “By the smell,” he said.
I froze. “The smell?”
“Yeah,” he grinned. “They all have a different scent, right? I remembered yours. I just picked the ones that smelled like you.”
I can’t explain the mix of shock, laughter, and warmth that washed over me in that moment. Pads and tampons aren’t exactly something most men study. But my husband had paid such close attention to me—my needs, my routines, even tiny details I never imagined he noticed—that he could walk into a store, sniff a package, and confidently say, “These are hers.”
It wasn’t just that he got the right pads. It was what it represented. He’s never treated my period as a burden, never acted squeamish, never made me feel embarrassed about my body. Instead, he paid attention. He remembered. He cared enough to learn, even about the things society often tells men to ignore.
That small act opened a floodgate of reflection. In relationships, we often measure love in big gestures: the vacations, the anniversaries, the surprises. But true love, the kind that lasts, is built on small, thoughtful actions. It’s in noticing how your partner takes her coffee, how he double-checks the lock at night because he knows you worry, or how she saves you the last bite of dessert without being asked.
When I shared the “pads story” with my friends, they laughed at first. Then one said, “That’s actually the most romantic thing I’ve heard in ages.” Another admitted her boyfriend wouldn’t even step foot in that aisle. We ended up talking about how society teaches men to feel uncomfortable around women’s bodies, and how powerful it is when a partner refuses to buy into that stigma.
Later that night, as I tucked the package into the bathroom cabinet, I found myself smiling—not because of the pads, but because of what they symbolized: a husband willing to step into my world without hesitation, supporting me in the most ordinary, human ways.
Love doesn’t always need candlelight and roses. Sometimes it’s about bleach-stained T-shirts because he cleaned up after cramps left you doubled over. Sometimes it’s him running back to the store because he realized he grabbed the wrong size. And sometimes, it’s him walking through the door with the exact pads you use—because he remembered their scent.
That night, I hugged him a little tighter. Not just for getting it right, but for showing me, once again, that I married a man who loves me not in theory, but in action—day after day.
The truth is, anyone can buy flowers. Not everyone can buy the right pads.
And in that silly, awkward, beautiful moment, I realized—that’s exactly the kind of love I want for the rest of my life.