No Distance

"Why are you so nice to me?"

"You haven't given me a reason not to be."

What does love look like? To me, love is a bandage that heals the broken heart. Love is the result of the broken trying to stand again.

Love knows no time or distance. 

Let me tell you the story, where I found a new type of love. A type of love that may have saved my life.

Once upon a time, I was blinded by the darkness. I turned my back on my family and lost all my friends. I quit my job and gave up on life.

With the fear of death I turned to therapy. It was recommended that I reach out to someone. Find a common interest, they said.

At that time the only thing I wanted to do was talk about the stories I was writing. No one in my life wanted to even acknowledge my work. That was until I stumbled upon a writing app.

That's when I noticed how big the world really was. The app was filled with readers and writers from around the globe, with different writing contests.

I distracted myself with the contests I saw online. I used them to connect with others as we reached for similar goals. Some people were mean to me, but I was used to it.

I hid my sadness in a new style of writing most people called humor. A lot of people enjoyed it without seeing how destroyed I was. 

My life is a joke so my stories are funny.

A selected few began to talk to me daily. We all talked about the weirdest things. We fought like siblings and formed this connection without ever meeting.

So, when I spiraled back into the darkness, I wasn't alone. I don't even think they truly know what they did for me. While some of them wrote stories for me, others downloaded my favorite video game and hung out with me in a new way. 

Daily text messages turned into daily phone calls. Game nights were created to get the whole group together. As weird as it sounds, I truly love all these people I never met. They saved me.

So, what is love? 

Love is the feelings behind text messages. Love is the laughter I hear over my headset. Love is the smile I see through my computer screen.

Love knows no time or distance. Love is nothing more than a light that leads you out of the darkness. A light I never knew I needed.

Thanks guys, for stepping in when I never asked you to.

"Can I talk to you tomorrow?"

"You don't have to ask permission to talk to me. Just talk to me."