I love you.
Three words that you can say to anyone. Most people say it to their significant others. If you're as single as I am, you say it to your parents and siblings. You say it to your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. You say it to your best friends and to your coworkers, to the people who live next door to you and to the random person on the street that helps you out after you dump the contents of your bag all over the place.
I find myself saying this phrase a lot, more often now than I ever did when I was younger. On average, I probably tell someone I love them at least once a day, if not more. You would think that, at the frequency with which I say this, it would lose a bit of its meaning. You would most likely think that it wouldn't be as special because of how much I use it. This is where you're wrong.
The world in which we live is inconsistent. It is an unpredictable whirlwind of a place, mixing fear with bliss and sorrow with joy, combining loss and beauty and pain and simplicity and complication. There is very little certainty to our lives, and that is something that terrifies me to my very core. In fact, without the love that I have in my life, I would probably be a lot more terrified. I am very lucky to have a relatively happy existence, and I have not endured much suffering in my life. Unfortunately, I know that many people have. With the recent devastation in Paris, Beirut, and Syria, to the most recent mass shooting in San Bernardino, our world is becoming increasingly unstable and dangerous with every passing day. It is important to be thankful for what little consistency we have in our lives, be that the place where you are or the people you surround yourself with.
I believe that life is too short to waste time. It's a scary thought, but you never know when will be the last time you ever see someone, or what will be the last thing you ever say to them. If you are grateful to have someone in your life, tell them. Saying "I love you" doesn't have to be a pledge for undying affection; "love" is synonymous with care, support, belief, trust, and understanding, among other things.
To those that I have said this to, know that I mean it with every ounce of my being, regardless of how often I tell you. Know that I am beyond lucky to have you in my life and that I don't know what I would do without you.
To everyone else, know that it's never the wrong time to tell someone that you are grateful for an "I love you." Life goes by too quickly to stop and overthink everything. In the words of Albus Dumbledore, "Pity.... those who live without love."
