Love is Action

Love is one of the most impactful words we have. Still, we often throw it around casually, or worse, shallowly. Love is not just a word we say. Love is a thing that lives in our everyday choices, ongoing actions, and how we treat the people we care about. When you love a person, you listen to them with an open heart and open mind.

You respect them as a person with real feelings, and you show love through your consistent, small acts of kindness. You don't have to do something grand or buy the most significant gift—you can text a good article, joke about something stupid they sent, or do nothing more than be present. In these moments, you are putting yourself on the line repeatedly, with each opportunity to care for another person in positive, trust-building, developing, and authentic love.

When asking what makes love real, it is consistency. Love is not something you can do only once just because you feel that you "should." It's about once again demonstrating you can show up, whether birthdays, holidays, or everyday moments are available for you to prove your love to another (by "showing up" is not at a cost, but by the desire to be kind). Love is a verb. Love is the energy you put into respect, dedication, and consideration.

Love is about the action, not the words. And, in the end, I believe it's not about what you say in a couple of hours once a year, but how you live it every day from here to there.