It took losing everything I thought love was
to finally understand what it isn’t.

Love isn’t supposed to make you small.
It’s not supposed to silence you,
to make you question your worth,
to leave you waiting in the dark for someone who never shows up.

It isn’t a test.
It isn’t a punishment.
It’s not the constant ache of wondering if you’re enough.

For too long, I mistook chaos for passion,
and loneliness for depth.
I thought love meant fighting — even when the battle left me bleeding.

But love isn’t war.
It’s peace.
It’s the quiet comfort of being seen, heard, and accepted —
not in spite of your flaws, but because of them.

The kind of love I want now doesn’t demand proof.
It doesn’t ask me to shrink or to beg.
It doesn’t disappear when things get hard.

It stays.
It listens.
It grows.

And maybe that’s the most beautiful part —
real love doesn’t take everything from you.
It gives you back to yourself.

So no, I don’t know what perfect love is.
But I finally know what it isn’t.
And that’s enough.

Always and Forever

💬 What did you have to lose to understand what love isn’t? Share your truth — maybe it will help someone else see theirs.