What is love? We all have a different understanding of what it is. My definition than yours and that does not mean that yours is more valid than mine.In these trying times, it is very difficult to keep positivity in the world. There is so much hate, so much frustration that sometimes we need to take a step back and enjoy each other and all the good things that are happening around us.

It is 2018 and yet I still feel like we are not where we want to be. There is still insane violence in the world, we are not truly accepting one another and we are turning on each other. America is considered to be a huge leader in the world but we struggle in some of the basics of making our country strive and it starts with our people and us feeling heard.

I wanted to find out about others’ positive thoughts and vibes; So, I spent the past couple of days trying to collect answers of what people would define love being. They are all different ages, in different times in their lives, both in a relationship and single. Here is what we came up with:

1. “What is love? Its give and take and a little heartbreak. Also not being able to imagine yourself with anyone else the same way.”

2. “Fargle” When asked what that even means, the answer was, “it's a word my boyfriend and I came up with one night. We came to the conclusion that ‘love’ was not a strong enough word so we came up with our own word for love and that word is ‘fargle’. It is own little thing."

3. Love in general- “Love is understanding, patience, and honesty.” Romantic Love- “Letting your partner be exactly who they are, and accepting that they are not you. Loving them for everything, every imperfect, quirky thing they might do. Love is the memories you create and the experiences you have together.”

4. “When my elder son was 5-6 years old, I read him some of Shakespeare's sonnets. About an hour after we finished, he came up to me and said, ‘I know what love is. Love is kinda like a shooting star that helps everybody get back to normal.’ I’ve always liked that, not just the idea that love is a shooting star, but that the state of loving / being loved is our normal state...so when we do not have love, life gets problematic.”

5. “Love is when your friend knows that you don’t have time to get food between classes and so they bring you some. It’s the little things like that that remind me I’m loved.”

6. “What is love?: I think love is being able to tell someone how much you truly care about them and how much you love them. Also, being able to trust them with your whole heart. Love is also being able to share how your day was and how it could be better. Love is also being able to be open and honest with your significant other about how you feel.”

7. “Divorce is pathetic. Love takes time, not 1 night, not at 1st sight (or bite!). What is love? It’s when you’d be nothing without him/her”

8. “Love is choice. To be in love with someone you have to keep choosing them, and decide to be in love with them everyday you can. This sounds really easy but its not. The day you wake up and realize you don’t choose them over the hardships and distance and over potential partners, that’s when you know its convenience, not love.”

9. "Love is a feeling, an emotion that I think everyone should experience whether it's through friends, family or a person. It’s a passion. Something that gives you the will and motivation to keep going. Love is an inspiration."

10. "True love is the willingness to put another life in front of your own. For you to adapt and change yourself to better the life of someone else, regardless of these sentiments are returned or not."

11. "Love is biting your significant other when he wants attention."

12. "Love is a deep and understanding friendship between people, it involves laughter and pain, no matter what the case may be."

13. “Love is having their problems become yours and vice versa. It is late night calls when you feel scared. Sending funny messages to each other when the other is feeling down. Going to each other's concerts or sporting events even if you do not like orchestra concerts or basketball. You are there for them. Love is that they are not ashamed to speak up for you or they are not afraid to get into a fight with you. You are strong alone, but you are stronger together. It’s blissful nights of complete silence in their presence, but it is also passionate emotions that gets your gears grinding.”

I am not saying that love is the solo solution for everything going wrong in the world. It takes, fighting, grit, some tears and a lot of patience. Our country is losing patience though and I am afraid that we are staring in the eye of a tremendous storm that will go down in history and the textbooks for a while. But with all the stress, heartbreak, challenges and crowd cries, I want to keep hope and keep my faith close. I am not the most political person, ask anyone, but I do know when to acknowledge that people are hurting and hopeful they will fond some light as well.