Love is a common word we hear every day. Love is equated to so many things. As you may have heard the famous cliché, we sometimes look for love in all the wrong places. What is love? What should I love? Is too much love a dangerous thing? Merriam-Webster defines love as a strong assurance of affection. I can say I love you, but if you’re not strongly affected in any way, love cannot be perceived from such words. Hugs, kisses, random talk, and spending time with someone all falls under the meaning of love.
In today’s society, it’s very easy to fall in love, but staying in love is where the game begins. Some fall in love at first sight while others fall in love as time progresses and they learn new things about the person or thing they admire. Love comes in categories. The four categories of love are Storge, Philia, Eros, and Agape. In order to reach an area in your life where you remain in love, you have to reach the agape level. Think about your favorite food or dessert for a moment. When I was young, I enjoyed candy apples. I would help my mother bake them and glaze them in the wee parts of the afternoon. Putting on the peanuts was my favorite part. It took a while for me to love candy apples. Once I gained an agape love for them, I began doing anything I could to obtain one or a few. I hope this blog post achieves the very same thing you are seeking for.
To begin, one must understand that “love” and “hurt” cannot mix just like light and darkness cannot. They are separate entities. Many times, people can accept hurt as a form of love. In my childhood years, they called it tough love; the child that got kicked out of his parent’s house and forced to live on his/her own. True love is not tough and it shouldn’t hurt. True love requires sacrifice, not hurt. If someone tells you about your actions and how you are hurting them, you’ll change or make progress to change if you love them. If not, you’ll continue hurting them. Love is sacrifice and will be discussed when I talk about agape love.
Secondly, you must love yourself. You cannot love anything or any person until you love yourself. Love what God created you to be from the inside out. Many times, we focus on the physical appearance and if we don’t look the part or fit in with the crowd, we feel we’re rejected and not loved. Loving you starts on the inside. Take a moment to sit down and write down all the things you like about yourself; your gifts, your smile, your skills, and so forth. There’s always something you can love about yourself if you try really hard to think about it; even if it’s small.
Thirdly, find a reason to love. When you find the reason to love, find out if it’s healthy or detrimental to your emotional health. Your joy and self-esteem interprets your view and mindset on the things around you. Ask yourself – why do I love this? How does loving this benefit me? Love is give and take. The giving is the sacrifice and the taking is the benefit you receive from loving. It’s a two-way street and if both parties aren’t making “love” work, it won’t be successful.
In closing, make the sacrifice to achieve love! Sometimes, you’ll be placed into circumstances where you have to agree to disagree and give up the right for the wrong. A mother’s birth is the best example. Though she didn’t agree with the pain and procedure to bring you into the world, she loved you so much that she was willing to sacrifice. What are you willing to give up today to show your love? Would you give up money and time? Would you give up some selfish ways and become selfless to others? Once you make the sacrifice to love, love yourself, and find a reason for loving, you can fall and remain in love with anybody and anything. It’s a process, but it’s worthwhile in the end!
In the first part of this article, I expressed the notion of taking it slow in a romantic relationship. Doing this gives you the chance to evaluate your desires and expectations for a relationship. More importantly, it can help you get to know your person of interest and this is the essence of flirting done right. You gain mutual interest with a person you like, you get acquainted, and somewhere along the line, you find your lifelong partner! Just about every pop culture magazine and publication has ideas and advice for flirting with others (Just google something to the extent of “ways to flirt”). Though here are some basics:
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This is the line that begins the timeless Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. Most literary critics would think of this line as a reflection (or a satire) upon relational values of Jane Austen’s time and place in history, but to the average reader, it sets the premise of the love story it is today known to be. However you read Jane Austen, this year celebrates two hundred years of existence for Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps it’s a truth universally acknowledged now that a lot has changed in society since Austen wrote it. Being so far removed from Austen’s time in this day and age certainly puts a damper on fully understanding this beloved classic, but
often carried through out of love for another person, which is of course the theme of this romantic holiday. However, there is a sentiment that is deeper than the confections and crafts. That is the celebration of traditional marriage.
The good ol’ days of quality time spent face-to-face with another human being live in the shadows of today’s texting, social networking, Facetime videochatting, and voicemail recording. Technology has separated people, but the online dating site, 
19-year old Fatima is your average girl with a twist; she loves to express herself through passionate words. Yes, that’s correct Fatima uses poetry as a way of expressing herself, she began writing her poems somewhere between being 12 and 14, and has been writing ever since.
She says that writing has helped her grow as a person by helping her communicate with both herself, and other people better, “…it has helped me to communicate better with people around me and with myself at some point, because, I realize things while reading or writing quite frequently.” Where does writing stand in her future? Well, she hopes to continue to use writing “as my runaway to freedom still, or probably, to dedicating it way more time, as a vital part of my life, for sure.”
Have you ever found yourself yearning for homemade cookies, but not had the actual desire to make them yourself? Sugar + Spice, a cookie bakery takes the hassle of baking cookies, and makes it as simple as placing an order.
This shop has a total of 37 different items available for purchase. When it comes to paying for your homemade cookies, they accept all forms of payment. When shopping, the price of cookies from sugar + spice ranges from the very low price of $14 for 2 dozen cookies, to $28 for the Surprise Box which includes 4 dozen cookies.