Written by: Shayla Joshi
Love.
I believe love is the greatest thing we have. It knows no boundaries, no barriers, no rules. Love is what holds us all together.
I think there’s a misconception that love is just romantic. The idea that love is something exclusive alluding to only a figment of “the one” is completely false.
Love is platonic, parental, and self-oriented to name a few. Love is all around us.
Love is shopping with a friend and showing them a shirt that they would look amazing in.
Love is your dad starting your car for you while you make coffee before you head to work in the winter.
Love is going to bed at 10pm.
Love is calling your support system when you are overwhelmed and sitting on the phone for 2 hours in silence.
Love is waking up to a text message saying “I hope you have a great day.”
Love is sending a text message saying “I hope you have a great day.”
Love is waiting to watch the next episode of the series you are binging just so you can watch it with your friend.
Love is lighting a candle, turning on your fairy lights and crocheting.
Love is drinking wine while watching the snowfall.
We receive love in mysterious and magical ways. Love is hidden in the little things around us. Our friends, families, and ourselves.
We are enveloped in love from others but more importantly we have the capacity of enveloping ourselves. More often than not we forget how to love ourselves. The idea of self-love has become conflated with baths, candles and warm lighting. And though all of these things are forms of self-love for some people (myself included), they are not exclusive ideals. Loving yourself can look like a nap, going on a walk or calling a friend. Self-love is taking the time to do things that recharge you- the things that sustain you and keep you going.
In every aspect of our lives, whether we notice it or not, we are surrounded by love. Simply by having people who care for us, and by caring for ourselves, we are loved. Love does not fit any template, nor is it one size fits all. Love is adaptable; it comes from where we need it most, when we need it most.
We are not only capable of giving love to others, but we can give it to ourselves. We can radically accept it from those who care for us, both unconscious and consciously. Whether we accept it or not, we are all deserving of love in every shape and form.
And before you label me a hopeless romantic (which I definitely am), I do not look at the world exclusively through rose coloured glasses. Bad things happen around us everyday and I recognize that. There are many heartbreaking and uncomfortable truths looming over our heads on a daily basis. But, instead of focusing on those bad things, I focus on the fact that despite it all, we are still here- loving and being loved.
QWOCC 