Scientific Love Thinking of love as a chemical would suggest there's an expectation of balance. It’s hardly ever even, but that is the nature of it. Negative feedback... In biology, it’s called the feedback loop. This loop's job is to maintain a balanced and happy environment. There’s stasis, but only ever briefly lest there’s too little, or too much, of this necessary thing leading things to go awry. What must you do when there’s no stasis? Examine the loop. Is there any feedback? If there’s too little, you slow down. If there’s none, you’ll do what’s best to ensure you have it to feel alive. You medicate the issue, to heal, or you replace it because you need it. Love. If you stop giving, and no one works as hard to maintain it, it’ll indeed cease to exist. Unless you recognize & have come to terms with the truths, it may look different than what you desire but still function as love. Your love might need to change for it to thrive in such an environment. Will you stop giving it when no medicine is unavailable, essentially allowing it to die. If you want to keep it, can you replace what’s missing? If there’s too much, are you overwhelmed? Can you do your part? Are you rejecting it? Are you giving too much because the loop is broken? You are pressing for even but get nothing. You don’t want it to die because it livens you. Just as lively as when our bodies exchange O2 & cO2. Or as vibrant as when our hormones fluctuate correctly, and we find ourselves wild with emotions. Feeling alive, not just being alive, is very much a part of mental development. Seeking, experiencing & sometimes losing love is part of that. It’s changing, love. Multifaceted and diverse love requires the most work that we’ll do in our lives. Unlike our body's feedback loop, which all takes place inside & passively, you’ve some control over it. The work to maintain the balance is required. You may decide you don’t need love to feel fulfilled. Many have! Opted out of love by refusing to seek or open themselves the possibility of finding it. Some choose to see what life deals them in this proverbial crapshoot. What you don’t have to do is accept someone else’s version of it. You get to love on your terms. ~ASH

According to a 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, it takes 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit. The study concluded that, on average, it takes 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. One of the dearest people in my life set an alarm to show up for herself. She shared that with me that a couple of months ago and, I loved the idea so much, I adopted it for myself. "Hey Siri, set my alarm for 8 a.m" 😴

Affirm and validate people in your space that happily fly outside of the binary. It's a beautiful thing to know yourself. Remember that there is no correct way to be non-binary. Recognize & respect all people, and remember they don't owe you androgyny. One way to affirm others is by asking, and respecting, their pronouns. So much love and gratitude, for each of you who cares to validate & educate. If you are non-binary #BeAffirmed Yellow- Represents gender outside a binary White- Represents many or all genders Purple- Represents people whose identity falls somewhere between male and female, or a mix of the two Black- Represents people who identify with no gender (Kyle Rowans Non-Binary flag design 2014)

I had to create a profile, to see how this site functions. Creating something with the best intentions seemed like a great idea to me. I have a vision, and I am looking forward to it materializing. Like with the book, it is something that requires forethought, honesty & some patience. Happy Monday, Loves & thanks for being apart of this community. Community is, and will always be, important to me. I have spent days wondering if my tiny contributions make a difference, and I hope to always remain dedicated to creating spaces for people who feel like they have none. For some it is just a matter of finding the spaces they feel comfortable, and welcomed in. Like my granny, I will do my best to save space for them. Can you tell this space was created with you in mind? Have you posted, or edited your profile?