Exploring the love around me

I’ve been struggling with love. In my head I get caught up and think about how love is romantic and grand. That it draws attention. I also think that everyone knows what love is, and that is not a fair assumption.

So, I started to pay attention to love, because what is love? Why does everyone seek love. We act as if we need love to breathe. I look at my friends and automatically know they love me. Which is really an assumption based on the time we spend together.

Not all my friends say they love me and I don’t always tell them i love them. So how do we know that we are on the same page when we aren’t constantly volleying i love you around? It’s simple, it’s in the way they care. Making sure to ask if you are alright. “are you okay I sense that you’re a little off today” or something like “I saw this and I thought of you” My friends that are not affectionate physically make up for it in other ways like gift giving they saw something thought I would like and that i should have it, something small but enough to know they care, or a really thought out gift that is just so what I wanted I didn’t even know. They paid attention enough to know. They will send me a tweet and be like this is so you.

I have other friends that live by the principle always say i love you and we say it every chance we get. When talking, when leaving, when hanging up, when laughing, when crying especially when drinking. we are affectionate towards each other. Holding one another, hugging one another, kisses on the cheek, hands cupping each others face during a song.

I have other friends where we say let’s go on a drive and we drive to music and just spend time. Have conversations that are only talked about in the confines of the car and trust wont leave. When people i don’t talk to consistently check in and see how things are going. I am surrounded by people that care and love wholeheartedly in their own way. Whether they can say the words aloud or left it the actions.

So, I started seeing how I show love to those around me. What do I do for the people I love? I tell them even if it makes them uncomfortable, because everyone needs to hear the words whether they think so or not. I hug my friends like its our last all the time. My most common one is “I love you be safe.” Be safe please be safe. I care about your safety be safe. I appreciate you, not only do I love you, but I appreciate you and what you offer me. My love changes with who is around based on how I see fit, but I don’t love anyone any less. I don’t care any less.

When I realized all the ways people loved it helped me understand how to express my love for them. Love is all around. It’s in the “did you eat today?” “i think you would like this song” “i saw this and thought of you” “do you want to run errands with me” it’s in little things when you look and you see that you are cared for. That everyone loves differently. That love comes in more forms than romantic. That you are full of love even when you feel empty because I love you isn’t the only way to let someone know. Love isn’t only romantic or familial. It’s platonic and it is every bit as grand when you embrace it.

With my thoughts on the internet,

RJC