Yeah, you read that title right. Trust me, I never thought the words "physics" and "love" could be that close in the same title. But there is one law that is essential to physics that I think everyone has heard of, whether you plowed through physics like it was nothing or never knew what the hell was going on (like me).
The first law of thermodynamics—ring a bell? Well maybe the title doesn't, but I'm sure its definition will bring you back to good ol' physics class, a place I'm sure we'd all love to return. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Sound familiar? Well, this isn’t about all the physics jargon, but now here's a question that every student will ask multiple times in his/her life: “When am I ever gonna use this stuff in real life?” Well, great question, my friend, now I need you to do just one thing, it may be asking a lot since I brought you back to physics class, but trust me on this one. In the definition of the first law, replace the word "energy" with "love."
Love cannot be created nor destroyed.
Sound better? Well, it’s a lot better than physics. Ah, my physics teacher would be so proud. Back to the point, this statement means that love is transferrable and takes on different forms.
Maybe you're saying to yourself, "but when I broke up with my girlfriend/boyfriend, lost a family member, or cut ties with a former close friend, all the love was lost; there was nothing but pain, loss, and sadness; there was no love." And maybe all those times were followed by many tears and tissues. During those times, the love you then give/receive begins to take on different forms and is sent/received by different people; the love you give and take does not die.
Love transfers from person to person, but alas, love is more than your run-of-the-mill endothermic/exothermic reaction. During a time of loss or sadness, like a breakup or a death of a loved one, you are allowed to be sad and feel like crap. While the wound is still raw, it’s OK to be down in the dumps and feel as if there is no love, but there comes a time where you realize you have support.
Remember that there are different forms of love. One of your parents gives you a call, talking about the time about how much ass you kicked in piano lessons during second grade; a friend invites you over just to watch an all-time movie classic for the ages ("The Incredibles," of course); you’re in the car with a bunch of your friends, whether in silence or dying of laughter. At all these times, you feel at peace. Your significant other FaceTimes you, and you can’t help but be melted by their smile that lights up your world and their contagious laugh...God that stuff goes right to your heart.
Love transfers and exists from one form to another, from self-love to romantic love, from family love to friend love, and all the interchanging routes and transfers in between. Love exists in all forms, with the levels of each varying over time. It's like trying to balance a four-way seesaw, it's no easy feat. And there are some points in your life that lead you to change the amount of love and time you put into each, and that’s OK.
So when you feel straight outta love, just know to look for love in some hidden spots, whether it’s in the kitchen of the house you grew up in, the back of your buddy’s car, or on the couch with a pint of ice cream; it's there.
