Dear Mel,

What do you think it means to be in love? I'm sure it's different for each person, but I am curious to know what that means to you.

Your friend,

Eros

Dear Eros,

My expectation of love and what I need from it has changed as I have aged and learned many lessons about love and relationships that I didn't realize were out there when I was younger.

I admit I wanted that fairy tale experience—to be swept off my feet by an attractive and charming partner who would make it their mission to ensure that I felt complete, loved, and happy.

It seems so simple, yet now, at this stage of my life, I realize how unreasonable and unrealistic my expectations were.

In my opinion, love isn't something we can orchestrate or even achieve on our own. It requires mutual attraction, sure—stimulating those neurochemicals we were all born with that lead to that feeling in the beginning, that new relationship energy that feels like love but isn't.

I believe that love is intentional. Love takes effort. It's not just something you find; it's something you work to build and maintain. Love takes patience, kindness, and faith—it has to because love is not one-sided. To love, we must also be willing to learn to communicate because no two people give or receive love the same, so we must know the differences to work towards and around them.

Love is a partnership that always takes some fixing but can produce the sweetest and most magical moments of joy life can offer.

The fairytale lies in the effort.

Love is life, and life is love.

XOXO 

-Mel

 

Melissa Livingston, a true New Yorker now residing in Texas, passionately advocates for the Parkinson's community. Following her diagnosis in 2020, her Instagram journey with #parkinsonslookslikeme gained widespread attention, uniting millions

Affectionately known as Mel, she actively engages with her audience across multiple platforms, including Instagram (@missmliv), Facebook (Melissa Marie Livingston), and TikTok (@UndeniablyHoneybee).