Love Is...

Love who you are. Love what you make. Love each other. 

The thing they never tell you is this: love is damn hard work.

Can you love your partner when you're on a shoestring budget and you're relegated to Kraft mac and cheese for "dinner"? Can you love yourself when you find yourself in a deep, dark creative dormancy? Can you love someone when they cut you off in traffic and catch up to you at a red light, simply to relish the pure satisfaction of giving you the finger?

Love is cultivated, cared for. It's seeing the best in someone, everyone and yes — even yourself — at all times. 

That's why it's damn hard work. 

There's no "5 Ways to Fall In Love With Yourself" self-help articles on Cosmo that can make it less challenging. I think you have to fail at it, lose your patience, get the bejeezus scared out of you that you might lose them, choose to try, try, try all over again, every single day. That's why this holiday isn't simply about choosing to love today. It's about choosing to make a purposeful, meaningful move toward love all the other 364 days, too. 

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. Off to enjoy a vase of fresh sunflowers from my Cupid! 

Amanda