The word LOVE and why you should say it as often as possible.
Love is such a funny word. It has no real definition.
Google it. Look at how many interpretations are out there, it’s like no one can really figure out how to explain it. Yet the word itself is HUGE! It is capable of so many things!
Love can:
Completely change the course of a romantic relationship (*POP QUIZ: Who said “Did my heart love til now?”)
Destroy the person who lost it (It’s a rite of passage.)
Determine your level of friendship (LYLAS!! Remember that?)
Rank the importance of your material items (omg I LOVE my new rug!)
We all want it. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you and lying to themselves.
But not all of us can say it. And I find this fascinating.
I started to notice this a long time ago when I worked onboard cruise ships for an Italian cruise line. I was the only American crew member I knew. Did my fair share of dating (market research, of course) and was shocked at how quickly other cultures dropped the “L” word. In my world, it took a minimum of 3 months to determine if you could, in fact, love somebody and then another 3 months to say it. How could these people so nonchalantly devalue the importance of this almighty word? Don’t you need to be ABSOLUTELY 10000% SURE of your unending affection for this person before you announce it to the world????
I was horrified! Shattered! Disgusted!! This would never happen in America!
Until one day I went to the crew mess for breakfast and saw they had my absolute favorite croissants!! I LOVE THEM!
Yes. That’s what I said. I LOVE croissants. I like these delicious, flaky, Nutella-filled pockets of heaven SO much that I can easily, without hesitation, announce my UNDYING ADORATION for them. But to my new boyfriend? To my friends? To a human?? I couldn’t say the “L” word…that’s nuts!
Yet, my new boyfriend(s) and friends continued to announce it with conviction until I eventually broke down and said it too. When in Rome. (Literally).
And guess what. It felt awesome. Enlightening. Liberating! I was almost always in a good mood! This free, unbridled usage of the L-word coincided with some of the brightest years of my life.
Love connects us and inspires us. It feeds creativity. It motivates. Love is the highest vibration in the universe.
Here’s a test. It will take 2 minutes.
Sit quietly.
Imagine something that annoys you. (Your neighbor blasting crappy reggaeton at midnight on a Tuesday.)
Feel it.
Start over.
Now picture someone you love, a person, a pet, a celebrity, doesn’t matter. Look at them and say “I love you”.
Watch what happens to you now.
Feel these enchanting sensations and tingles and high AF vibrations that arise within your body from the mere thought of love. It’s magic.
In an attempt to maintain a high level of creativity, I’ve been playing with this word again. Three weeks ago I changed my gratitude journal to a love journal. Every night I write silly things I loved about my day. “I love when I wake up before the sun.” “I love sleeping in newly washed sheets.” “I love listening to audio books.”
It’s kind of cringeworthy, but since starting my love journal I’ve begun to see hearts everywhere I go. All over sidewalks, graffiti, t-shirts, jewelry. I’m obsessively taking pictures of them because there.are.so.many.hearts.
Love is simply everywhere.
This love affair with love was rekindled by a new meditation. I “borrowed” part of it (with love!) from Sarah Blondin.
Get in a meditation pose.
Take 3 cleansing breaths.
Breathe in and silently say “I love you”.
Be fully present on your exhale.
Repeat for 2, 5, 30 minutes.
If this meditation feels awkward at first, good. That means you’re normal. But may I kindly, gently, sweetly remind you…
YOU ARE THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN YOUR LIFE.
There is no one on this planet who is more important than you. You are your only guaranteed ride or die, true blue, Bonnie/Clyde together forever soul mate. Someone who is that devoted to you, deserves to be loved above all else.
So say it! Say it to yourself, say it to others, say it to your cat. Throw the word out there as often as you can, and notice the abundance of love that comes pouring into your life.
PSA: This has the potential to transform your relationship with yourself. Which transforms every relationship you have. (And now that you’re hopped up on all those love vibes, it might revolutionize your romantic life, too.)
With all that being said, I love you.
With love,
Bethany
