Self-Love Versus Romantic Love?

I think too often I get self-love mixed up with romantic love.

I'm so rebellious about the idea that I have to be anything when it comes to romantic love. I don't like that I have to fit labels, or some kind of look to be attractive and to be loved. But the reality of romance has some roots in evolutionary biology.

I think my rebellion is actually a product of my need to learn to properly self-love, but I'm projecting that upon the experience of romantic love. To self-love, I don't have to be anything. I just have to participate in the joy and love that is already available. I have to engage in love itself, satisfying the needs of my heart while simultaneously satisfying the hearts of others.

I think self-love comes from that space in between the bonds we share. By honoring the bond and the calls of the heart, we are immersing ourselves in self-love that requires no labels. It just Is.