For the Man or Woman Who is Loving Again…

“Love is patient,” they said.

I never truly understood that until now.

For so long, I equated love with chaos—unpredictable highs, sudden storms, and constant tension. I learned how to survive in it, even function in it. Then he came along, and with him, a calm I didn’t recognize.

At first, his calmness unnerved me.

How can you be calm when you’re upset?

How can you stay composed when I’m pushing every button?

How can you remain steady when I’m serving you chaos?

But he gets it—he’s loving a woman who is still healing. And instead of retreating, he’s willing to walk with me through the rest of the journey.

To truly understand love, you must understand its foundation—patience, kindness, truth, resilience, faithfulness, hope, endurance, perseverance… and peace. For the first time, I am being loved correctly. His peace teaches me. His patience steadies me. His presence shows me that sometimes what feels uncomfortable is actually what’s right.

And maybe… that’s what real love is supposed to feel like.

I don’t share this for validation. I know I deserve this.

I share it because so many of us have never seen healthy love—only memorized the definition. I’m here to tell you: prepare yourself to be loved correctly, because nothing can truly prepare you for it if you’ve never experienced it.

Many women talk about a “soft girl era.” But a man who protects that softness, who encourages it—

That is rare.

That is unmatched.

-Chantelle aka Telle