love is

possibly the most difficult thing to define in the world: love. Good ol' love. Making us do crazy things since the dawn of time. It's a very tricky topic, and a very tricky feeling to navigate, but it is so rewarding. The last few months have been a very rewarding eye-opener for me, and my own developing knowledge of what love is. I know that love is always changing, always moving in different directions. When we think we love someone, and later find out it wasn't real, that can feel immensely frustrating. It makes me feel like I got it all wrong, the definition of "love." But we need those false encounters. We need to see who picks us up after the fall, because clearly, these are the people who truly love us.  It wasn't until recently that I came to properly see the incredible value of platonic love. The kind of love that lasts a lifetime, when you understand someone to the very core of their soul, and you stand by them, not out of a desire to acquire something, like a relationship, but out of a deep respect for them. I respect my friends so much, and I love them. I love my family, I love so many different types of people in so many different types of ways, and I am very thankful for the way it has opened up my eyes.

goodnight. much love, Marilyn