Have you ever had a quote that meant everything and a slice of bread to you? Perhaps you got it as a tattoo or you wrote it down or you hung it on your wall. Were there also people who didn't understand it? They knew where it was from and they just scoffed without hearing what it means to you? It's a funny thing, that way. It shows how different our minds are because something that is important to you is so stupid in someone else's eyes. I've come to learn that it will always be that way, no matter what it is.
My favorite quote that has some roots and a lot of meaning is the quote: "All the love. x."
It looks like something someone would end an email with or sign a letter with. Well, it is. It's what Harry Styles puts by his name when signing autographs or at the end of his social media posts. But, shockingly enough, I don't like it just because it's a quote from a majestic British celebrity.
It has more of a deeper meaning than that. It's something that I say when I respond to someone through email or sometimes I may feel frisky and put it on an Instagram post. When I say it, I mean it. I am actually sending you all of the love and hugs that I have available. It's my gift to you and that's how I express it. It's my way of saying 'much love' or something cheesy such as that. I want to stick out in the crowd and I feel like saying 'all the love' is more meaningful than just a simple closing.
However, there is even more to it than that.
While this is a genuine saying to me, Harry Styles does have something to do with it. And this is where I could say that he saved me and all that happy crap, but I'm not going to say that because he didn't really 'save me.' I never really needed saving and I can assure you that Harry wouldn't have been there because he was busy doing whatever it is Harry Styles likes to do.
But, he does mean a lot to me and he is my role model. He's a man that is full of love and has a heart of gold. He sees the positive in absolutely everything and everyone and isn't at all discriminatory. Honestly, I could spend this article naming all of the good things about Harry, but I'll stop because we'll be here for a while.
Other than the reasons that I look up to Mr. Styles, he's a link to my late grandmother. I know what you're saying: how could a boy band member be a link to you and your grandma? Well, let me explain. In 2012, my grandmother moved into my house from an assisted living facility. During that time was when I was a big One Direction enthusiast (don't get me wrong, I still am, I just got tamed). One spring day - a month or so before she passed away - I remember decking her out in all of the One Direction apparel that I had and posed her with some of the merchandise that I had.
She was the best looking Directioner if I do say so myself. It was then I found out that her favorite song was Moments because it was slow and beautiful. Her favorite member was also Harry because she thought he was the cutest and she liked his hair. That day, she smiled and was having so much fun because I was just enthusing about how amazing Harry was along with the rest of the band. Seeing my grandmother smile was and always will be something beautiful and unforgettable.
One of her caregivers that came in - a lovely girl by the name of Megan - who had become a good friend was also a fan of One Direction. She had tickets to the first One Direction show in Minneapolis in summer 2013. I was of course jealous. I wanted to see my five beautiful darlings and I wanted that to be my first concert!
A week before my grandmother died, my parents had gifted my friend and I with the tickets that Megan had bought. She didn't want to go anymore and she knew that I loved them, so she sold them to my mom and dad. I was so happy, so ecstatic.
That concert was just a month and half after she had died. I don't know if Moments was played at every concert on the Take Me Home tour, but it felt different than other times that I had listened to it. I know that it was live, but it felt like my grandma was there with me. She technically was the reason that I had gotten the tickets in the first place.
That is why I see this tall glass of water as more than just a boy band member and it's also why I have a deep connection to this saying. It's one that I would be perfectly fine with putting on my body forever.
So, next time, before you judge someone's tattoo choice or quote choice, maybe ask them if there's a back story. You never know how something that is so silly can mean so much to one person.
All the love. x.
