Dear Jordan…First Comes Love | What Love Really Is (and What It Isn’t)

First comes love.At least… that’s what we’re told.In this letter, I want to talk about love in a way that doesn’t usually get said out loud. Not the version that sounds good in movies or looks good from the outside — but the kind you actually have to live inside of.Because not everything that feels like love is safe.And not everything that looks like love is real.This episode is about understanding the difference.It’s about recognizing the space between what we’re taught love should be… and what it actually is when you’re the one experiencing it. The kind of love that brings peace, not confusion. The kind that allows you to exist fully, not shrink to be accepted.And also… the kind that doesn’t.As your mother, I don’t want to hand you a definition of love and tell you to follow it. I want you to experience life fully, to learn, to feel, to question. But I also want you to carry a quiet awareness with you — something that helps you recognize when love is healthy… and when it’s something else pretending to be.And if you’re listening to this and trying to make sense of your own experiences with love — whether you’re healing from something, questioning something, or just starting to see things differently — this conversation is for you too.