Love’s truest form, walking with you, no expectations.
We’ve all heard countless love stories. But love is far greater than the stories we’re told. Today, I want to share what true love really means to me.
I’ve experienced true love twice in people in the way people expect one to. But the purest one wasn’t in something I only found in another person.
I discovered love for myself after living alone for more than two years. In that solitude, I learned to appreciate my own company, my own strength, my own growth. I feel love for my close-knit circle, the people who stand by me, and also for the community that challenges me and helps me become better.
But the purest love I’ve ever felt? It’s been in the mountains. It’s the mountain dogs, those selfless, gentle souls who show me love at its rawest. They don’t care where you’ve been or who you are. They don’t weigh what you can give back. They just fall in step beside you. Through brutal weather, up the toughest trails, they stick around. It hits me every time: true love is just being there.
This Valentine’s Day, let’s celebrate love with our loved ones. But let’s also remember the love we build within ourselves. The love we share with the people around us. And the love we choose to step into steady, selfless, and pure, like a mountain dog. Love isn’t just about romance. It’s about how we show up, for ourselves and for others.