On Love

Quote by Ann Landers, advice columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Image illustrated by Mary Galloway for Refinery29.

In honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to share a quote about love.

"Love is friendship that has caught fire. It takes root and grows, one day at a time.

Love is a quiet understanding and mature acceptance of imperfection. It is real.

It gives you strength and grows beyond you—to bolster your beloved."

I really like this quote because I think it better reflects what true love looks like over a lifetime. A lot of what is written about love is overly inflated, and in my opinion, not accurate. It's more about infatuation that burns hot and then burns out.

True love has a solid foundation of friendship. It starts with a little spark and as you breathe air and life into it, it catches. You have to work at it. You have to show grace for your partner's imperfections (and accept and apologize for your own). This love might not burn as hot at times, yet there is a depth to it that is wonderful and sweet and fulfilling.