Its for everybody.

I’ve had my share of struggles, but I’ve also been blessed beyond measure. When I talk to women my age, I’m often struck by the vastly different paths we’ve taken when it comes to love. Some of them have had just one husband their entire lives and still feel like they’ve never truly been loved. Others have had so many lovers they’ve lost sight of what love even is.

One friend of mine, bless her, has been with so many men that she jokes she can’t see a naked man without gagging. It’s funny on the surface, but there’s a sadness to it, too. As women, as we get older, I don’t think we always realize how much lovers matter—how much of ourselves we give away with every encounter.

For me, I’ve always felt a sense of gratitude when it comes to love. I have been in love more than once, and yet, I know that’s a blessing. To have truly, deeply, authentically loved someone—and to have been loved in return just as much, if not more—is a gift. There’s nothing in this world like the feeling of love. It’s energy, it’s movement, it’s magic. Love is incomparable. It’s what makes us human, what connects us, what makes this world beautiful.

Love crosses every boundary. It doesn’t care if you’re tall, short, fat, skinny, old, or young. It doesn’t care about race, culture, or belief. Sometimes, it’s a shock—you find yourself falling for someone who’s the complete opposite of you. But when it’s real, that love is undeniable. It’s life-changing.

And yet, in today’s world, love feels like it’s being forgotten. Millennials and Gen Z—whatever labels you want to use—seem to have replaced love with impossible standards. Unrealistic, unreachable, and completely unachievable expectations now stand in love’s place. Maybe that’s why so many of us aren’t experiencing real love anymore.

I hear women my age complain about the men in their lives and how terrible they’ve been treated. But I often want to ask: Did you choose love, or did you settle? Was it desperation, or were you chasing something authentic?

Looking back, I can’t help but feel immense gratitude for the times I’ve been in love—the men I’ve loved and the men who have loved me. Because nothing in this world compares to real love. It’s impossible to put into words. When you’ve felt it, you know. And if you’ve been lucky enough to hold on to it, even for a short while, you know you’ve been blessed.