Love Is...

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Surprise! I wrote a Valentine's Day post. I would have posted it on Valentine's Day, but I got distracted/Cafe Rio was calling. Anyway, this year I decided to put away my dislike/apathy for Valentine's Day and instead use it as a day to celebrate love. And what do you know, I actually enjoyed it.

As I was thinking about it, I realized that I can't really explain exactly what love is, even though I've experienced it countless times in my life and seen it at work in the lives of others. So I decided to make a list of things I've  experienced that, to me, exemplify love. So here we go.

Love Is...

-Letting your daughter keep various pieces of DI furniture on the side of your house and in your garage for several months, even though it's a huge pain.
-Taking your friend to a movie at 10pm on a weeknight because she just ended a relationship and needs a distraction.
-Helping your best friend bury a dead cat in the middle of the night.
-Buying your sister food all week because she's stressed and too busy to feed herself.
-Answering the phone at 2am when your college daughter calls because she had a nightmare.
-Listening to your friend tell you their biggest secrets without judgement.
-Holding your best friend's hair while she throws up.
-Not saying "I told you so" to your teenage daughter when she gets hurt over something you told her not to do.
-Literally picking your friend up off the floor and singing songs to cheer her up after she just got her heart broken.
-Keeping your criticisms to yourself when they're not necessary.
-Letting the other person pick the movie for once.
-Calling just because.
-Really, honestly trying to understand another person, even when you don't agree with them.
-Remembering birthdays.
-Looking for the good in people and reminding them it's there.

Love, Brontë

P.S. To the person who left this on my doorstep: Well played. Bonus points for remembering things I just mentioned in passing. Extra bonus points if you're actually reading this right now.