Love is one of those things that we can't fully understand until we have experienced it. Everyone sees it differently and no two loves are ever the same. Some fall fast while others take their time, but regardless, love is needed. I believe that love is a choice, as I've written about before, but not all people feel that way. I got a lot of feedback on that piece and it grew my interest to see what love is to others. I asked around, and the responses I got ranged from generic to insanely insightful.

"What do you think love is?"

"A feeling that changes the way you see the world." -Bailey, 12

"Love is that feeling you get at a restaurant when you see your food coming." -Maggie, 17

"Pain." -Gwen, 16

"Love is when someone cares about you unconditionally and doesn't want to hurt you.'What is love, baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more.'" -Michelle, 21

"Combination of passion, commitment and intimacy according to psychology. Uh I would say that you don't need to question what love is if you're experiencing it, it's just there." -Edwin, 18

"Being able to put up with somebody when they are at their worst." -Dillon, 18

"Love is for suckers. I don't know love, ask me about something I know and care about." -Loretta, 29

"Love is literal b*llshit" -Jenna, 19

"You don't know until you find it" -Meaghan, 18

"Love to me is a feeling you get when you know that you're with someone you never want to be without." -Thomas, 20

"Love is when you can you can be yourself around the person you're with and being able to show your emotions with, without being scared or thinking you're going to be looked at in a different way." -Joe, 18

"Caring for someone so much you would put your life in total jeopardy to save their life." -Alan, 54

"It's this special bond that's so strong you don't see any flaws in that person and they don't see any in you. They're the person you dream and think about constantly, but most importantly they're the person who gets you through the day and night." -Nick, 18

"Like you feel lost without the other person." -James, 18

"Simply I would say giving of yourself for something or someone." -Timmy, 41

"I think love is the most important thing in the world. It's what keeps us together. I think love is found in the simplest things and it is the one thing that we all need so desperately." -Lex, 20

"When you love someone you forgive them." -Dora, 13

"Love is when someone makes you smile even when you don't want to." -Kitty, 18

"It's something to be desired but hard to obtain. Until you see that the only one you need is yourself then maybe love will lead you to someone that keeps you strong and free." -Lindsey, 25

"Love is something that most people don't know what it feels like, until they feel something that they have never felt before and don't know what to do about it." -Jason, 33

"Love is when I feed my dog more even though he's chubby and needs to slim down." -Bernice, 17

"It's a legitimate drug, you get a high when you're with someone or doing something you love and when you can't have it you crave it until you get it again." -Breanna, 19

I think love is who we put our affection and trust into. It's where we find happiness and safety. Love doesn't always have to be based on romance. It can be found in the little things, like someone's smile or the way they laugh. I personally think love in the romantic sense, is being vulnerable enough to get hurt but trusting that you won't be. It's giving and it's taking. Love is letting someone see your imperfections and being received as beautiful regardless. I don't know how many of us find the love that were looking for or how long that takes, but I do hope that whoever is looking for it can find it.