"Are You in Love With Anyone?"

“Are you in love with anyone?”
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Usually, this is a question that leads us to search outside ourselves; our mind races to another person. But, as I took a moment to think, my own query came to mind, what if I didn’t make this question about someone else? It occurred to me that I could respond to this in a different way and my initial answer altered from a no to a yes.
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Yes, I am in love.
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She’s incredible, and treats me better than anyone ever has.
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She’s compassionate, forgiving, and extremely understanding. She’ll hold space, and allow me to fully express how I feel. She’ll go out of her way for me, and find ways to make my life easier. She really takes the time to listen and shows up for my needs. She’s accepting of who I am, as I am, but encourages me to grow.
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She’s lovely. She’s me.
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There’s so much freedom in saying, I’m not in love with someone else, but I do still feel love, because I love me.
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This wasn’t an answer I could give before, because I was deeply seated in self-hate. I depended on others to be the source of love, and felt incapable of giving it to myself.
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It took YEARS of doing the *very* hard internal work—of unlearning and learning again. And as challenging as it is to do all that processing, and unpacking—it was worth it, because I’m worth it. And so are you.

Love,

Devi