In the age of social media, we are exposed to so many different kinds of media telling us about what love should look like and how it should feel like. It’s all very over-saturating. It’s all very suffocating. It’s all very trivial and stupid. There are so many people out there who don’t know what they’re talking about; and yet they also have the audacity to try to impose their standards and ideas of love on other people.
And maybe, you’re telling me that I’m guilty of doing the same thing right now; maybe you’re telling me that I’m just shoving my truth down your throat by telling you about what I think love should be; about what I think love should look like. And maybe you’re right. But again, this is my truth. This is how I believe love is because this is love as I have experienced it.
And while my view of love may resonate with a lot of you, it might not always be the same as everyone else. And that’s okay. But in my own personal experience, I know that love has the power to break people. But I also know that when a love is real, love is never going to leave you.
A lot of people are going to tell you that love can happen instantaneously; that love doesn’t really need so many years for it to validate its own existence. They say that love can happen in an instant; that it can peak in a matter of milliseconds; and that it can leave you just as quickly. And maybe to a certain extent, that can be true, I also know that love can also be a very gradual process.
I know that love can start out as an insignificant speck of dust and then it over time, it grows to become a force as strong as a hurricane. I know that that love is something that people have to work hard to sustain – that not matter how good you start out your love story, it’s all really a matter of being able to maintain that love. I know that even if love gets off on the right foot, it doesn’t always guarantee a smooth ride along the way.
I know that love can be just as much a struggle as it is a pleasure. I know that love is a burden as well as a gift. I know that love can be just as destructive as it is amazing. I know that love has the power to break people in half; but I also know that love has the power to heal and give life. I know that love can rejuvenate and empower. I know that true love isn’t going to be a love that is without its problems.
But rather, a real love is one that has the strength, patience, and resilience to withstand whatever storms or problems may surround it. They say that love is always thrilling and exciting; and I know something different. Yes, I know that love has the power to make the heart race, but it also has a certain sense of calmness and serenity about it. I know that love can also be stable, boring, and ordinary – and that it can still be beautiful despite being those things.
There is a simple message that I want to relay to all those out there who have been in only one relationship all their loves and they are wondering if there is something more out there for them – you don’t have to go off in search of love just because other people make you think that you’re settling for the relationship that you’re in. If you’re in love, you’re in love. And only you get to make that decision.
Only you have to live with the consequences. Only you get to decide whether a love is worth sticking things out or not. You get to decide if your love is valid or not – not anyone else. You shouldn’t live your love life based on the standards of other people.
Sure, other couples can look happier and more exciting on social media. But you also have to understand that their pictures are manufactured and manipulated. What you experience in your everyday life with your partner is real – and its authenticity is what makes your real romance so much more beautiful.
Love is so much more than a collection of beautifully arranged photos on an Instagram feed. Love isn’t always going to be pretty. Love isn’t always going to be easy. Love isn’t always going to be so simple. But there’s one thing that’s certain about love. If a love is real, it’s always definitely going to be worth it.
