Love is amazing — we all know that. It’s maddening, deep, and profound. To quote Moulin Rouge,

“Love is like oxygen. Love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is Love.”

Except…it’s not. And it doesn’t have to be. And we need a lot more than just l-o-v-e.

So often love is the end of the story. It’s the last chapter before the epilogue, the journey that the protagonist set off on in the first place. It’s the motivator, the reason behind the words. It’s like love, this wistful, undeniable emotion, is the whole point of everything that ever was.

And I kind of want to ask…

Why?

Sure, staring into the eyes of someone you care about is amazing. But so is staring up at a sky filled with stars at midnight in July. Falling asleep next to someone is lovely. But so is drifting off in a hammock by the beach, being rocking to sleep by the breeze. Sharing in firsts with someone is great, but so is filling your own mind with all sorts of firsts you’ll never forget at the hand of no one but yourself. Learning everything about someone else is intense and life-changing, but nothing is quite and intense and life-changing as learning all about who you are and want to be.

Falling in love is magical, but there is magic in a lot of places, people, and things that have absolutely nothing to do with love.

There is so much pressure put on us today to fall in love, be in love, make our lives all about love. And in that search for the special someone, we fall into a dangerous cycle of searching for someone special, but never for ourselves.

And I don’t think life is about finding someone else to become complete, it’s about becoming complete on your own.

It’s about finding the places that make you feel at home. It’s about surrounding yourself with friends who make you a better person. It’s about making a way for yourself and building a life you are proud of. It’s about trying new things and making memories that are sure to last forever. It’s about having experiences that open your eyes, your heart, your soul and your mind.

It’s about living a life as fully as deeply as you can, with or without someone else.

The way I see it, love shouldn’t be the main storyline, it should just be a bonus. It shouldn’t be the end all be all, it should just be a fun extra. The main part of YOUR story is one thing and one thing only:

You.

So if love is a main point of attention in your life and in the saga that is you, awesome. But if it’s not, please realize that your life is not worthless or less than because there isn’t that L word in your day to day. If the arch of your journey thus far hasn’t contained falling in love as a plot point, that’s more than okay.

Because I’m sure the chapters have still be worth the read.

Your story is yours and yours only. And it’s worth telling. It’s worth hearing, it’s worth living.

And it’s worth living even if love isn’t a focal point.