I was officially diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (more affectionately known as OCD) when I was 17 years old, but I have been afflicted since the day I was born.

I have memories as early as three years old, of counting my stuffed animals over and over and over….

I have spent most of my life trying to hide my diagnosis and making excuses for my obsessive thoughts and compulsive rituals. I am pretty sure I have come up with an excuse for everything: why my hands are red and cracked at times, why I hate eating in restaurants and why I have to run home to “check on my animals” (just to name a few).

Over the years I have received treatment and taken some pretty hard steps to get to a place where I function pretty darn well.

I know this disease like the back of my hand.

I know when it is rearing its ugly head and I know what I need to do to shut it down. But the truth is it never leaves me. It sits on my shoulder like the proverbial devil, always whispering, wanting me to feed it. And yes, it is painful.

Everyone has challenges, and at the risk of sounding overly optimistic—we can make lemonade out of life’s lemons! To be honest, my OCD has played a large part in carving out what I like to think is a mildly successful life. It pushes me to excel at the majority of the things I take on—scholastically, professionally and even personally.

Heck, it is one of the multitude of parts that makes me me! And know what else? It will, someday, make me an awesome partner.

So why should you date a girl with OCD? Here are 10 reasons:

1. Date a girl with OCD because your living space will always be meticulously clean—and you won’t have to lift a finger!

Your ties, socks and even boxers will most likely be sorted by color. The kitchen cupboard will be arranged alphabetically and will be promptly replenished as soon as supplies are utilized.

2. Date a girl with OCD because you can rest assured that you will not be contracting any strange illnesses from her.

In fact, your doctor will soon come to see you as a model patient who never misses a regularly scheduled appointment and, as an added bonus, goes out of his way to provide the office extra business!

3. Date a girl with OCD because the doors will always be locked and the appliances safely turned off.

The alarms will be up to code and when the batteries are used up, not to worry, there is a whole stash nearby.

4. Date a girl with OCD because you will never sleep through an alarm, forget an anniversary or shirk an obligation.

Gone are the days when you have to apologize for forgetting Mom’s birthday yet again.

5. Date a girl with OCD because she is a perfectionist and she knows that perfectionism is not always desirable.

The best relationships are predicated on balance, yin and yang. Deep down inside, she knows that. Date a girl with OCD because she needs you to be imperfect and forgetful and a little careless. She needs you to let her sleep through the alarm and she needs you to tell her that it is ok that she forgot Aunt Millie’s birthday. She needs you to keep driving when she begs for you to turn around so she can check the locks one more time.

6. Date a girl with OCD because she is loyal.

In this girl, you will have someone whom you can depend on. But more importantly, you will have someone who needs to depend on you. She needs you to be her imperfectly perfect rock. She needs you to show her that your love for her is not conditioned on perfectionism and that life and love can be gentle and forgiving.

There will come a moment when she looks deeply into your eyes with both love and fear. In that moment she will realize that it is truly okay to admit that she does need someone else; and that as human beings, companionship is a basic necessity. In the end, you will be part of a beautiful union built on an acceptance and a celebration of imperfection.

7. Date a girl with OCD because chances are she is wicked smart and her intellect will never let a conversation get boring.

Her brain is constantly working, analyzing and dissecting. You don’t have to worry about her being a bore at dinner parties or at a loss for words in an intellectual conversation. In fact, she prides herself on knowing that some of history’s greatest minds suffered from OCD (including Michelangelo, Martin Scorsese, Winston Churchill, Nikola Tesla, Charles Darwin and Ludwig Van Beethoven). And she will remind you of this every chance she gets.

8. Date a girl with OCD because she will introduce you to a world you never knew existed.

When she realizes what an amazing partner she has, she will love you with that strong passion that makes her wonderfully unique. She will use that passion to show you a burning zest for life and love. She knows that all that we seek is already inside of us—that we are love. She cherishes the beautiful inherent gifts that every one of us is given—the smell of the air, the warmth of the sun, the joys of nature, the presence of animals, the comfort of companionship and the knowledge of a universal love. She will show you an appreciation for life that can be known only by those that have endured its deepest struggles.

Chances are she has managed, for many years to put on a façade that tells the world she has it all together, while experiencing a deep internal form of torture. She knows that outside appearances mean very little and because of that, life’s materialism and greed are likely lost on her. She knows and understands pain, which makes her compassionate, patient and kind. When the rain of her OCD subsides, the rainbow that remains will leave you with a passionate, caring and sensitive soul.

9. Date a girl with OCD because we all have a fear of failure, a desire to appear perfect and insecurities that run deep.

We all make mistakes and we all have perceived weaknesses; but we are just trying to do our best with this gift of life. In this relationship, you will have someone who not only allows you to be you, but needs you to be.

10. And finally, date a girl with OCD because she has a sense of humor.

She knows that OCD is a very serious illness and can be devastating without the proper treatment. But she also knows that she has to be able to make light of it—because a day without laughter is a day wasted.

As Winston Churchill said

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

And he had OCD.

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Apprentice Editor: Marcee Murray King / Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Alyce Barton/Pixoto