Whenever I take an online quiz, I feel like I always get the question, “What is the most important thing in life to you?” I always say the same thing: love. Yes, that sounds cheesy. I don’t necessarily mean that love in a relationship is the most important because that’s not the case with every person. Everybody has somebody in their life that would do almost anything for them. In my opinion, that’s the definition of love.

It can be scary to be in college. It’s the first time we get our true independence and the first time we go weeks without family. I think I really started to understand love when I got to William & Mary. I knew I loved my family and boyfriend of two years, but now four years into this relationship and plenty of half-hour drives to see him, I finally see what distance can do with love. Distance strengthens love and I’m even more rewarded when I get to see him now.

Not only am I at different schools than my boyfriend, but I am a relatively long way from my family, too. I honestly didn’t feel close to my little brothers because I thought we were extremely different. It turns out I miss them even more because of that. We have so much to talk about with each other because we have such different experiences. I appreciate my time spent at home so much more on breaks now than I did in high school and cherish my time spent at home with the people I love.

Not everybody will agree with me. I just figure that the word “love” covers a whole bunch of categories. It defines trust, caring, affection, and much more. Without love for another person, one might not truly be able to see how it affects everyday aspects of life. That’s why it’s essential for me to show my love for others, especially when we don’t have forever with the ones we care about.