"Nori" Peterson
Counselor

1. What does love mean to you?

Love means having a commitment to something and not abandoning it. When you love a person, you will always love them even if at times they are the biggest nuisance in the world. Love is also a feeling of belonging, where you will accept that person with who they are and try not to change them, because a lot of the time, you might not be able to. There are also different kinds of love in the world. A love that you feel towards your friends, family, parents, a place, a special object, even a pet. And when you feel love, you should feel a warm and wonderful sensation that just can’t be replaced. But though there are all different kinds of love out there, I think that one should really LOVE THEMSELVES.

2. Do you think that love has its limitations?

Yes, I actually do believe that love has it’s limitations. When in a relationship of any sort, you can’t expect everyone to meet your needs and serve you hand and foot. It’s not like they can read your mind and know exactly what you expect of them. You have to try and sort things out yourself. Love relationships aren’t Just going to one day pop up and become your magical fantasy. It takes time and effort to sustain one. And even with a parents love, though parents care, they can’t run the lives of their kids. And there is one saying that I just can’t believe in, “Love concurs all”. I know that love is a powerful emotion that can do some pretty amazing things, but it can’t solve all of your problems (drugs, alcohol, etc…). sometimes, no matter how much you love someone you have to let it go. You can’t go on living your life loving someone who is like poison for you. But many times, love is something that can heal you. Love can be a rich soil which enables people to grow.

3. Can you describe how it feels when you feel the feelings of love?

I’m not in a romantic relationship now, so my main focus is my daughter. I can’t really describe how I feel for her, other than that my loved for her is boundless. Even though I’m angry at her, and even with her bad qualities, I love her more than anything in the world. She is no perfect little angel, no one is, but that is just what I love.

4. Do you feel that different people (genders, age groups, ethnic groups, etc…) see love from a different perspective?

Well of course different types of people see it differently. Many teens seem to idealize and romanticize about love, and they believe that everything will end up happily ever after, and that love will just come to them. They don’t see that love takes patience, compromise, commitment, and most importantly, an open mind. As for older people, they see love more realistically and more rationally. They are able to view the enormity of commitment and time that is involved. But I think that everyone should see that you must be thoughtful when in love. And where ever someone may be or end up, I have some advice, always remember that coming from a place of love is a powerful thing.