Love should not hurt.

Love should not hurt your body. It should not pierce your skin, it should not wound your flesh, it should not cause you to cry out in pain and anguish. It should not hurt.

It’s not supposed to hurt.

Love should not hurt your soul. It should not crush you into a million pieces beyond repair. It should not break you down until there’s nothing left. It’s not supposed to be like that—it doesn’t have to be like that.

It shouldn’t be like that.

Love should feel like a hot cup of coffee on a cold day, warming you up from the inside out. It should envelop you in light. Love should make you smile more than it makes you cry.

It should not aim to make you cry.

Love should lift you up. It should raise your spirits. It should make you feel as though you can fly, as though you could soar, as though the tallest mountain is no match for you.

Love should. 

Love should make you a better version of the human that you are—and it should continue to do that always. It should make you want to do better and be better. Love should lead you to hope, to comfort, to joy. It should always strive to make the cracks, the wounds, and the breaks better.

Love should want the best for you.

Love should want the best for you. It should not hold you back. It should urge you forward, for it’ll be right beside you. It should hoist you up to soar, it should be there to catch you should you fall. Love is about listening and talking, it’s about finding your focus within the chaos. It’s about embracing the madness of this world and finding moments of stillness with another soul, too.

Love should be patient.

Love should be kind.

Love should be beautiful. 

Love should be hopeful.

Love should be growth.

Love should be learning.

Love should never hurt.

Love should.