The Act of Love. The Product of Love.

The skies are bright blue— a steep contrast from the skies I view from the office window. The air emulates a tight hug with your favorite comfort meal on the other side of the door. That’s vastly different from the brisk, dry air that Atlanta has right now.

Love operates as a verb and a noun, and when I think about this upcoming Valentine’s Day, I think about how relationships operate in the same concept as a verb and noun. Toure Roberts penned on an instagram post “Marry the person you want to be standing by your side when you have to put a parent in the ground”. Whew! Talk about a word, but the sentiment can translate to friendships as well. “Be friends with people you want to be standing by your side when you have to put a loved one in the ground”.

I have come to the understanding that the people who uplift my whole self have been in the oddest and darkest times. Those times where you really felt like everything was falling apart or you don’t know who you are and so desperately trying to remember. The people people who value your own journey of self-discovery. They are with you in the heartbreak and the homebuilding. They help you through the unsureness and the uniqueness. They love you and honor new boundaries that you may have to set. These are the people that make you realize that the selflessness they give is you is an ACT of love. The immense loyalty, closeness, and respect that you in turn have for them is a PRODUCT of love.

In this season of love, if this made you think about someone special, text them “do you have eight minutes?” Eight minutes is the time you need to connect with that person and feel seen and heard. Use the eight minutes to somehow show gratitutde or appreciation.

And to my people, thank you for choosing to act in love and our relationship begin a product of love.