By Luz Feliz

With a title like that, I bet you would expect the next line to include a catchy tune that urges you to get up and start dancing. However, we will be abstaining from Haddaway’s famous lyrics and focusing on a more personalized message. So, what is love?

Too often, our current society places too much emphasis on what love and happiness are supposed to look like. You are not happy if every single moment of your life is not broadcast across social media for strangers to speculate on. If you are not in any type of romantic relationship, then you must be missing out on love because you are lonely. If you are always home and do not get out much, then you must be miserable because there is no way you could feel love or happiness by being at home all the time. On the contrary, the connotation of the word love is unique for everyone.

At one point in my life, I thought that love was flashy material items that could easily be lost at any moment. That love was simply a word that people said but had no real emotions behind using it. Love used to be an awkward word that was forced out of me despite not understanding what it was truly about. Nevertheless, my perception of this word has evolved just as I have.

Getting out of bed in the morning and getting ready for my day is love. I value and love myself enough to know that working hard will pay off and that I deserve good things. Telling friends or family “no” and instead deciding to stay home is love. I cannot give anything to others if I am not in a good place first. Listening to my favorite songs and singing loudly at the top of my lungs is love. Feeling comfortable and free enough to be myself and knowing what helps lift my spirits is a form of love.

Now I wonder- has your understanding of love changed at all since the beginning of this article? Will you feel less guilty after indulging in your favorite frozen dessert after a rough week at work? What will your answer be next time you are asked for a favor even after you are already being pulled in 17 different directions? How will you practice, or embrace love this month?

Keeping this in mind, here is to success in everything you set out to do this month!

L.N.F.