I AM QUEEN Issue 06 | Page 12

Finding real love... with Shonda Real, pure unadulterated love. It’s something most of us seek to experience at some point in our lives. I remember a time in my life that I was on a desperate hunt to experience what I viewed as real love. You know the kind you see in the movies. However, I soon realized that my perception of what was considered true love was flawed. I didn’t know the love I sought to understand was already on the inside of me. Through many trials and tribulations, heartaches and pain, my perception of love began to evolve. I spent a lot of time searching for a love that would fill the voids deep within my heart. After much disappointment, I wondered if real love even existed. I felt like a hamster on a wheel, just going around in circles chasing something that seemed out of reach. Although I still didn’t know what real love was, I learned a lot about what love was not. Real love doesn’t hurt, nor is it unkind. Real love is not selfish. I also realized that real love was not something that I had to chase down. The love I sought to find in the world started within me.