Spread the L-O-V-E
Go all in with love.
Love is an everlasting positive energy. When it is present, it shines like the sun…and your awesome and welcoming smile. It radiates like the warmth from a blazing fireplace…and your charismatic presence. It comforts like a new pair of kicks…and your tender and trusting touch. I’m talking to you, fellow human being. The point is love is all good. What must be realized is that love, as powerful as it is, operates from acknowledging its presence and reciprocation and passing it along keeps it alive. Like a volcano, love sits dormant within each of us until something sparks it. That something can be a number of things. It can be interpreted in many ways, just as the Bible was throughout the centuries. In other words, love branches off in many aspects of life. For those that don’t believe in love, hopefully this slice will give you a change of heart.
Love is often associated with romantic relationships. It is seen in countless movies, including the world’s two top-grossing films, Avatar and Titanic, both written and directed by James Cameron, a man who has been married five times. Anyways, romantic love takes much effort to keep going and can be worth it. With all the distractions in life, it is tough to keep focus, especially when something new is usually within reach. That is when love goes wrong. We must acknowledge that the love is still present and nurture it. We often take for granted who we have. Props to those who remain together through the turbulent times. Romantic love is like a plane ride, it’s up to the co-pilots whether it is a safe or a crash landing.
Friendships have just as much maintenance as romantic relationships. Love is more lenient and playful, which gives a positive aura. Fraternities, sororities and other social groups bring strangers together as a support system and share the love. Counting on someone, camaraderie and companionship are key components to keeping the positive energy of love alive.
Unlike romantic relationships and friendships and their fragile content, familial relationships are set in stone. This may be the only arena where unconditional love is often present. The love between a parent and child is such a strong bond that no circumstance is impossible to ensure that health, safety, well-being and happiness are in order. When heads are butted, vile words are exchanged and even punches are thrown, the love between family members is still present – because it is acknowledged and usually reciprocated. Bound by blood, the love will never die. But of course, some circumstances may create an absence of love, which is definitely unfortunate.
So, “Where’s the love?” you ask?
Lasting Omnipresence Virtually Everywhere
In every situation, L-O-V-E is Lasting Omnipresence Virtually Everywhere. Love is like a drug, it intensifies life. As emotional humans, many of us tend to lose control over our feelings. When we lose control, we not only become unfocused, but bad decisions are made and negative things can happen. These consequences are not to be blamed on love, especially in romantic relationships. Love is often misdirected and given insincerely, which like spam e-mail, seems decent, but we all (should) know it’s BS.
With all the unfortunate goings-on in the world – war, poverty, disease, etc., we must not abandon love. We must put ourselves in other people’s shoes and with our hearts on our sleeves, act accordingly and spread the love. A soldier is one individual in a war, but may have the love for his country and beliefs in his/her heart. A starving child with malnutrition in a third world country still has love for the family and share what he/she can. A hospital patient with a terminal disease has made peace with his/her maker and share the experience of love that surpasses life. In tumultuous times, we must look within ourselves for that morsel of love and let it grow. Acknowledgment of its presence is the water to help love grow. The benefits are instant once love is shared with others. But here’s the scary part about love: it can be too much for people and they may reject it, which is why some people don’t share the love. It easier to spread the love when you love yourself because you have more to give. It doesn’t make sense to give what you barely have. Luckily, love is infinite as long as you tend to it.
These days, people use the word “love” so casually. “I love my iPhone 4.”, “I love honey-roasted sunflower seeds.”, “I love co-ed tackle football on fluke rainy summer days.” And so on. I guess the one syllable does it for most people. Take note that there is no other one-syllable word that expresses really liking something as “love” does. As a true non-hopeless romantic, I try not to use “love” in vain. People often mistake the love for objects for the true essence of love. When that’s the case, people are left trying to fill a void. As I mentioned earlier, love works best when reciprocated and last time I checked, objects aren’t capable of that.
Many individuals have incorporated love into their lives via hobby, specialty and career. Top-ranked athletes, renowned artists, famous celebrities and many others have become successful in their respective fields solely because they love what they do. If effort, persistence, determination, dedication and following through equate love, then we can learn to achieve greatness, or at least contentment. A myriad organizations and companies have been labors of love. And as a popular belief in cooking goes: love is a key ingredient. Basically, love prospers.
As I attempt to express my thoughts on love, just know that these are some general statements that are intended to enlighten souls, spark thought and literally, show y’all some love. Now, show me some by leaving feedback.
“Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor… Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.” – Mother Theresa