People say “I love you” all the time. I hear it everywhere I go, from girls saying it to their friends before they leave, boyfriends to girlfriends, or moms to children. Often, people are offended by the superfluous use of this phrase, saying that it loses it’s meaning when it’s overused. I feel differently.

Before my boyfriend and I started dating, we were best friends. I always say that before I fell in love with him, I loved him as a person. When we were friends, I told him “I love you” a few times, because in that sense it was definitely true. I loved the person he was and I loved the friendship we had. I say the same to my best friend, because I do love her as my longtime friend and pseudo-sister. I can’t imagine my life without either of them.

I don’t believe that saying “I love you” needs to be taken in a romantic way. Saying that phrase can simply be a declaration to someone you care about that means, “I am here for you” and “I care”.

Trust me, there is a huge different between “I love you” in an offhand way and “I’m in love with you” in a romantic way and the differences are concrete. The acknowledgement that someone is in your corner always means something and I cherish every time someone says, “I love you” to me, in any context.