love is a word we often throw around without ever thinking too much about what it really means. so what does it mean? and what can loving someone do for them?
love, to me, is about freedom. it’s about giving someone the freedom to be themselves without the fear of you leaving or punishing them. how do you give someone freedom? through safety. acceptance. non-judgment. non-reaction. and non-attachment.
often when we become controlling, whether that be in friendships or relationships, i’ve found it to be because we’re in denial with what is. we’re trying to make someone they’re not. we’re projecting our own insecurities and fears onto someone else, hoping they’ll fill the void that was never theirs to fill. this sort of love isn’t love. and you’ll find it will stifle both yours and their growth rather than catalyse it.
love is transformative. when you give someone the space to be nothing but themselves, when you give them the acceptance to express all of their sides, when you do all of this from a place of loving kindness, it transforms them. it heals them. it saves them.
so how are you choosing to love?