Love is a many splendored thing,” and it also means,
“never having to say you’re sorry.” It seems as though
“love” has many definitions and signifies various things
to different individuals. Robert Indiana probably
understood this when he created his LOVE sculpture.
Therefore, it is little wonder that so many people are attracted to his
visualization of this word. We each have our own feelings about it.
And, although many think the word “love” is a noun, I consider it to
be a verb.
Love is very different than being “in love.” When you are in love,
there are generally two minds without a single thought. It is merely
a form of temporary insanity that, as the joke goes, is often “cured
by marriage.” Others believe that love is just another four-letter
word. Some attribute both the wisdom of a fool and the folly of the
wise to love, as it tends to make smart people do foolish things, while
guiding others in the right direction. Like fire and water, love can be
either a benefit or a disaster.
I have discovered that love often results in the realization
that you consider another’s needs to be more important than your
own, and that feelings of love tend to increase dramatically if that
love is reciprocal. When I was young, I believed that my parents’
support and encouragement was something they were obligated
to do, no matter what I did. It wasn’t until I was a grownup that I
recognized that love causes those who know you best to still care
about you, no matter how much you may disappoint them with
your thoughtless actions. It is a magical moment when you find that
you want to conduct yourself as you believe they wish you would
in order to consider their love for you to be justified.
It is this dichotomy of love as an intangible emotion that cannot be
explained or understood, since it can only be felt. We constantly want
to think that love can be earned, or that we have some control over
who will love us. Unfortunately, love is random and has no rhyme
or reason.
However, love is the universal healer that seems to make all things
right, heal all wounds and nourish every soul. When love invades
you, it leaves no room for anything else, as it fills you with joy,
happiness and all the other good things of life.
So, why does love seem to control all we do and all we think? The
answer is subtle, but clear. Love is that which we seek as soon as our
basic needs are met. Air, food, water and shelter may be at the top of
the list, but it is love that motivates the majority of our lives, whether
we are beggars or kings. There is virtually no life that is untouched
by love, as love is a universal desire that we all need and want to
experience.
Self love, love of God, or love of another are all based upon an
inner feeling that is both indescribable and non-rational. Yet, it is
more real than anything else in our lives. So, here’s to love. May we
all both give it, as well as get it from each other. Oh, what a lovely
world that would be.
“
I’m not myself today and everybody has noticed the improvement 11