Too often, love disappears.

And we take advantage of the people around us.

With the ability to choose who you want in your life, celebrate why those close to you are in your life. Embrace them because every person in your life has the ability to affect the person you are and the person you become. No matter if it's a friend, a sibling, or significant other, whoever it is, thank them for being in your life and go beyond the easy answer of why you love them.

Too often we jump to conclusions and take the easy way out.

We don't treasure the people in our lives who are there for us and support us and love us.

But it's not the love that you focus on, it's the people themselves. The people we choose to love have been given our love for a reason. A reason beyond "[insert person] makes me laugh".

With Valentine's Day this week, love is on the brain. But rather than focusing on a love that's existent, take advantage of what makes that love so special. If you ask me, I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day. I think the only time I did enjoy the holiday was in elementary school. But that's not the point. Valentine's Day is a faulty representation of love.

Love isn't found in your significant other bringing you flowers or chocolates. We have to learn that love exists in our day to day lives. And I don't mean to sound negative, but our society doesn't value love. It looks at movies and storybook tales about romance to be these "goals" of the love we aspire to have. Which is incorrect.

Hollywood and the movie industry exaggerates relationships and doesn't show that relationships take work. What I'm trying to say is that it's the people not the relationship itself that we should love. Too often we get caught up in the idea of love and ignore the love itself.

So I don't sound like I'm just shouting into a void, be that friend that asks the other to text you when they get home. Call someone just because you were "thinking about them".

So don't jump to conclusions. Embrace every person that's in your life for the "why's" of how they're there. Celebrate what makes every person you love special and love people beyond simplistic and easy answers. Reach out to those who mean the world because you never know how much they might need it.