I think the most beautiful thing in the world is love. Love is not one size fits all, check lists and steps. Love just is. It is the way the ocean kisses the shoreline. The laughter of a baby being held in its mother's arms. It is silence in a road trip as we chase the sun, the moon, and the miles. It is self care and face masks and bubble baths and whatever it is you like to do to feel soft and sunny.
Think of all the people you have ever known. Be it people you have shared a subway car with, the people in your classes, or just someone ahead of you in line at the supermarket. Most of the time, we do not really think too much about these fleeting strangers, only in our lives for a minute or so. We move on with our days. But, now think of your family, your best friend, that person that makes your heart thump. You care so much about them, with every fibre of your being. Has it ever occurred to you that those strangers and your loved ones could be the same people?
Who says Paris is the only city for lovers? Times Square is full of many strangers, and I'm willing to bet that they are all loved.
(Photo Courtesy of Author)
You see, everyone you have ever met has one thing in common; they are loved. Either by a mother, or father, or sibling, or best friend, or a sweetheart, or even just themselves. These people walk around carrying love with them. And the thing is, they don't even know it. How often have you felt so soul-achingly alone? When was the last time you felt the weight of the whole world on your shoulders and did you feel like no one was in your corner? Life can get you down like that sometimes. Or maybe it's not a sometimes. Perhaps, it is a nightly affair or a daily feeling of desperation. I know, some days the weight of loneliness is unbearable.
But, there are days that I remember how much love is in the world. Sometimes it is on days where I don't have much love for myself but I can see it still around me. I like to remind myself that the stranger I saw is loved by someone. And that is enough for me, just to know that at least there is someone being loved, cherished, thought of at that moment.
Whether or not you're religious, we can all agree that love is pretty much eternal. Love is memorialized and remembered for generations to come (Heloise and Abelard, anyone??).
(Photo Courtesy of Author)
How do I know this? Well, it's not for certain, since I don't know every person I see. But I know people. I know how we are, and the fickle nature of our hearts. And so do you. I know we tend to get swept up in the motions of routine. But there is always time to spare to think of those that we love. Because at the end of the day, every person you have ever walked past has someone out there in this wide world that loves them. That kid on the bike doing wheelies has someone thinking about them. Everyone that you've ever been stuck in traffic with has someone hoping they drive safely, they have someone that loves them. Even you, dear reader, is loved at this very moment. Please realize that, revel in it, and remember that people carry you with them always.
With all the hate in this world, it is easy to get swept up in fear, to fall into loneliness, or to doubt the goodness in this world. I hope that despite all of this, you can remember how much love has been handed out to you and that you never forget to save some for yourself when doing the same thing.
