This isn’t going to be some sappy post about falling in love with a significant other or with yourself. It is going to be about falling in love with life. It happens everyday. We encounter something that makes us laugh so hard we cry or we observe something that leaves us in awestruck. Something that gives us hope or something that inspires us. These are the things that we should fall in love with.

Without surprise and without force, it happened to me. Again.

I am currently located in Medellín, Colombia. A place where the people are just as warm as the weather and as brilliant as the sun. A city surrounded by astonishing, rich, and vivid mountains. A place full of inspiration and passion. I visited this remarkable city back in January and instantly fell in love with it, so I had to return.

I am so entirely, happy that I did.

A few days ago I met up with a local friend to wander around Envigado, Medellín with. My friend was showing me around, while teaching me of the past and present of his beloved home. As we were walking my friend saw the line between the rain and dryness, but the rain was racing towards us. So, the competition with the rain began. We were laughing and tripping over our own feet as we tried to find shelter. We took a right when we should have stayed straight. The rain was coming much too quickly and we were wet before we finally found refuge.

As we were sitting down my stomach dropped, my thoughts began to race, my cheeks became sore from smiling. In that moment, I fell in love with the environment all over again. Genuine love. The amazing things that are presented to us through nature is what I fell in love with. I was in my happy place. A place I’ll never want to leave. Nothing could bring me down; I mean I did just race the rain.

I am infatuated with life.

A few days later I went dancing with some new friends and my roommates. We went to a salsa bar called Tibiri, I definitely recommend it if you’re ever in Medellín by the way. This little bar is about the size of a one bedroom apartment and is located underground. There is no air conditioning and only a few places to sit. The atmosphere is full of passion, excitement, and romance; the emotions that should last a lifetime.

We all spent hours dancing our hearts out with each other and with strangers. While we rested, we watched the people that actually knew how to dance. They are amazing. They dance so naturally. The way their feet and hips move so smoothly and zealously. The way they transform the music into a practice. It amazes me any time I observe it. No one is awkward with each other and the dance partners effortlessly become one. One with each other and one with the music.

My roommate, Pablo, explained to me that to dance with passion, one must feel the music and the rhythm in their bones and veins. One must relax and enjoy the ambiance that is created by the song. I spent the rest of the night letting the upbeat and rhythmic Latin tunes flow through my veins and I danced without worry and without embarrassment. I danced just to dance and fell in love, yet again.

I’ve exclaimed these feelings to you because these are a few of the things that cause a person to love life and live life to the fullest. The very things that place smiles on our faces and goose bumps on our skin. These are the reasons that we live our lives with open hearts and open arms. I want these feelings to last my entire life - I’m sure they will. If you remember to fall in love with life instead dread it, then your life will become so much more simple. Easy as that. I promise.