by Kat Petines, photos by Kelly Mahipus

Stories about love are not new. Society’s obsession with the subject has spawned a truckload of materials that focus on the search for it, the triumph of finding it, the tragedy of losing it and everything in between. In fact, love has turned into such a central theme in our lives that it is not surprising to see your fourteen-year-old cousin sharing a sad love song on Facebook, captioning it with “Someday, I will be alright again. 💔”

Of course it’s fricking weird, but it happens. And you know what? It’s okay.

Because in the vastness of the universe and the absolute randomness of life, the only thing that lends some semblance of meaning to our existence is the certainty that comes with having somebody that you care for. All the space-time coordinates of physics converge to focus on the two of you, and the life you try to build together becomes the focal point around which you view everything. Without it, well, shit does tend to seem terrifying.

And that’s what the Before I Do Anthology is all about. Launched last December 30 at Book and Borders Cafe in Eastwood, this independently-published collection features stories on relationships, dating, weddings, and marriage. It is a potpourri of insights on things we have experienced, whether personally or vicariously,  immortalized in print by 32 writers, and compiled by Kath C. Eustaquio-Derla, the brain behind the BIDO brand. (Read What Am I To You, the prequel to Before I Do, here.)

And much like the best forms of love, it perseveres to assert itself without hesitation. The BIDO Anthology is made up of honest slices of what the authors have experienced, offering straight-up real talk, affirming some of our very own experiences and letting us know that heartbreak—when it happens—happens indiscriminately. The BIDO Anthology is a shining example of why stories about love persist: they are worthy of being told, and that is more than okay. 

☁️

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