Normalize Love

Too many people negate the power of love. They act like it's soft. Sentimental. Optional. But love? Real love- the active kind, the kind that changes behavior- is what holds society together.

Love is what lets me deliver medicine to the cranky lady on my mail route, even though we see the world through wildly different lenses. I don’t want her to die. I don’t believe anyone deserves to be discarded. That’s not me being noble- it’s me being human.

And being human? It's not supposed to be convenient. It’s supposed to be connected.

Love is what lets me pause in traffic and wave someone into my lane. It’s a small moment, but it says: Your time matters too. That one flick of my wrist can shift someone’s entire day. Maybe they’ve been cut off three times already. Maybe they’re late to pick up their kid. Maybe they just needed one person to see them.

Love is why I tip people who do things for me—servers, delivery folks, grocery baggers, anyone showing up in a system that often doesn’t treat them with dignity. They took time out of their lives to serve, assist, or connect. That deserves recognition. When we reward people for doing good, they’re more likely to keep doing good. That’s the social contract I believe in.

This is what society should be built on.

Not fear.

Not dominance.

Not efficiency at all costs.

We’re not machines. We’re not assets. We’re people, wired for connection, meant to live in proximity to each other with care.

Love your neighbor. Love humanity. Love as general decency.

Love isn’t just about romance- it’s about understanding that life means something. It’s fragile. It ends quickly. And as far as we can prove, it’s the only one we get.

So love the people who love you back. Love your own body. You don’t get a replacement. Love the things that keep you going, especially when the world feels indifferent.

Love the voices you revere- the creators, the thinkers, the artists whose work moved something inside you. They’re human too. They bleed, cry, question, collapse. They are not your gods- they are your mirrors. Let them be messy. Let them be loved.

Love your pets. Your kids. Your real, everyday support system. You need them to live. That’s not weakness. That’s biology. A pack survives. We were never meant to do this alone.

Love your coworkers. The ones who lift the load with you. Sometimes they’re the only reason you make it home in one piece. Sometimes, they’re the only ones who notice when you’re not okay.

But here's the part no one wants to say:

Don’t love everyone.

Don’t pour love into people who harm you.

Don’t waste that sacred energy on the ones who ignore your asks, drain your strength, or dismiss your pain.

Don’t confuse self-sacrifice with integrity.

Love isn’t sainthood.

Love isn’t martyrdom.

Love isn’t self-erasure.

Love is power. And we should allocate it wisely.

Love the helpless. The kind. The neglected. The ones who still try, even when no one sees them. Love the people quietly holding things together. They may never ask for it, but they need it most.

That’s the love that keeps the world turning.

Normalize compliments.

Normalize pointing out good things when we see them.

Normalize thanking each other.

Normalize loving people out loud.

Normalize Love.

Author Note: I’m building a trauma-informed emotional app that actually gives a damn and writing up the receipts of a life built without instructions for my AuDHD. ❤️ Help me create it (without burning out): https://bit.ly/BettyFund