Millennial Love

What is love? The question millennials are plagued with the question of do they even know what love is? I don’t mean love between a parent and child. That love is an unbreakable force responsible for the incredible stories of a mother lifting five times her weight to save her child. I’m talking about love for another human being, not the same as a parent’s love but still unashamedly vulnerable. Do we understand what it means to love or so absorbed in our constantly bustling lives that there is no room left for love? Years ago, I’d have no humility admitting I have no freaking clue what I’m doing, trying to make a happy relationship out of two strangers. Spending most days telling myself if it was abuse, he would have put me in a hospital already or, at least, blacked my eyes. My idea of love was unhealthy, to say the least. While I’m still learning the entire understanding of love, I know what it means to love someone and be loved by them. Someone truly loving me was scarier to me than the violent, dominating love I grew up with, instead of a relationship where I’m forced to defend and guard myself. I have someone that isn’t asking me to drop my guard, just patiently willing to love me until there isn’t a guard left. Vulnerability is handing someone the ability to mess with your head while trusting them not to. It’s terrifying and exhilarating opening up about every flaw and horrific past, waiting for that familiar look of disgust only to see compassion. So do I know what love is? My feelings are irrevocable, but in my opinion, love is not easily explained away by definition. Whenever you realize you love a person, it doesn’t just stop after that epiphany. It continues growing. That’s what I never want to stop, finding reasons to love him more. The advice I would give to millennials is even when the cards aren’t in your favor, take a leap of faith anyways, and if it isn’t what you hoped for, don’t worry. It could lead you in the right direction.