Growing Together: A New Year’s Manifesto on Love

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As the calendar turns and the new year approaches, we’re drawn to the allure of clean slates and fresh opportunities. The season practically begs us to dream bigger, to chase something new, to start over. But maybe this year, it’s not about finding something new. Maybe it’s about deepening what we already have, committing more fully to what’s right in front of us.

This isn’t about convenience or settling.

It’s about the powerful, intentional act of choosing love. Choosing growth. Choosing us.

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Love in This Lifetime

We live in a world obsessed with “what-ifs” and wistful notions of soulmates who might meet under the “right” circumstances. Movies, songs, and stories glorify love as something elusive, fleeting, or meant to be found in an alternate timeline. But why are we so willing to romanticize the hypothetical when we hold the real thing in our hands?

I don’t want you to be my “what if” or my “right person, wrong time.” I don’t want the love we share to slip away into some distant corner of my mind, reduced to a collection of bittersweet memories and unanswered questions. I don’t want us to be the poetry of lost love or the muse of heartbreak.

I want this. I want you. Right here, right now, in this messy, complicated, beautiful life we’re building together. Love isn’t just a feeling; it’s a choice. And every day, I choose you.

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The Foundation of Forever

True love isn’t found in the grand gestures or picture-perfect moments we see on screen. It’s in the unfiltered, raw, day-to-day life we share. It’s in the arguments we resolve, the silences we fill, and the mundane chores that shape our routines.

I want to build a life with you—one that’s real and unpolished and ours. I want to buy groceries on a lazy Sunday and argue over what to cook for dinner. I want to fold laundry while we binge-watch our favorite show. I want to turn those small, ordinary moments into the foundation of something extraordinary.

And then, I want to dream big with you. To set goals, trace stars, and celebrate victories, whether they’re monumental or tiny milestones only we would notice.

This isn’t just about surviving life together. It’s about thriving, about finding joy not just in the highs but also in the lows. It’s about creating a home—not just a physical space, but a sanctuary where we can be fully ourselves, fully seen, and fully loved.

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Why We Fight for Love

The truth is, love isn’t always easy. It takes work—sometimes messy, heart-wrenching, soul-stirring work. But the beauty of love lies in its resilience, in the decision to keep showing up even when it’s hard.

I want to argue with you and make up with you. I want to feel the weight of frustration and the relief of reconciliation. I want us to know each other so well that even our disagreements feel like a testament to how deeply we care.

Love isn’t about avoiding conflict; it’s about navigating it together. It’s about learning and growing through the tough moments, about choosing to stay even when the easier option might be to walk away.

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The Urgency of Now

Time is fleeting, and the new year is a stark reminder of how quickly it passes. We aren’t promised alternate universes or the chance to meet again in some future life. We have this one lifetime, this one chance, and this one love.

Why wait? Why let fear or ego or uncertainty hold us back from the love we deserve? Why gamble with something so rare, so beautiful, and so fragile?

I don’t want to spend my days searching for a love that feels like yours. I don’t want to give my heart to someone else or start from scratch, relearning the language of love with a new soul. I don’t want to look back at this moment and regret not fighting harder for us.

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A Resolution for Us

This year, let’s resolve to love each other harder. To communicate better. To lean into the discomfort and grow through it. Let’s promise to argue and make up, to laugh and cry, to build and rebuild as many times as it takes.

I don’t need perfection. I don’t need guarantees. I need you—your flaws, your quirks, your messy, beautiful entirety. And I want to give you the same.

This is the year we choose each other, over and over again. The year we turn love into action and commitment into something sacred.

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What About You?

The new year invites us to reflect and set intentions. What are yours? Is there someone you’re ready to fight for, to commit to, to build a life with?

Let’s make this year about more than just resolutions. Let’s make it about love—real, messy, transformative love.

Until next time, stay tender, stay brave, and keep your heart open. 💖

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🌷  Signed, MJ