The various flavors of love

Love. Oh, how this word has changed over the years.

From something that was palpable, with that familiar butterflies-in-your-stomach moment of fleeting exhilaration, love has morphed into something much more accessible, simpler and purer for me.

It’s a feeling that comes unannounced at any moment in the day – from the warm rush when you see a tiny planter on your desk on your birthday to the contentment you feel on seeing your family after a period of 2 months. It’s no more a fleeting gush of adrenaline too much to bear – one that is ephemeral and leaves you gasping for more. No. It is now this constant feeling of stability, of being in the right place at the right time, that inexplicable outpouring of feeling you get when you find happiness in the little things in life.

And you finally get that love needn’t be explained in words. Not now. Not ever.

It’s just there. With you at all times. All it does is raise it’s head at different points in life to remind you of its presence and wash you in it’s all-encompassing warmth.

As we grow up, love takes many forms – it comes as unexpectedly as ever, yet there it is- in all its purity – a single look, a single text message, one glance across a crowded room, one call when you are low, one wave at the airport entry gate – one moment is all it takes.

And does that make it more easily accessible than before, more easily felt, more within reach, more common if I might say? Oh yes it does. But then, why is that bad? Isn’t this better than chasing after that one person who might make you feel that way, like we did when we were younger? To feel that first hit of strong feeling, only to have it dull over time, and then wait for the next wave – which might take months, years, or maybe a lifetime to come?

Love no longer requires grand gestures, fancy declarations, nor the tangible proof of special days to justify its existence. It needn’t be proven or explained. There isn’t the need for a lock on a bridge in downtown Paris, nor flowers, nor a post on social media. It’s low-key, yet deeper than before. You no longer look for a person who sets your heart on fire. Rather, your heart is always on fire – some people just fan it more than others do, Yet, even without them, the fire would still burn.

Love needn’t be a constant struggle or a force to contend with. Let it be a feeling that lasts, that excites but never lets you down.

“Why make love a weakness, a pain to suffer, when you can make it your strength?”

And no. Love needn’t be for a romantic partner. Nor for anyone else for that matter. It’s no longer dependent on what someone else does/says. It can crop up at any time – when you catch a look at yourself in the mirror. Or when you laugh till your sides hurt with your best friend. Or when you are lying in your bed, listening to music – and you suddenly realise how perfect this moment is – that life couldn’t be better, that this is one of those moments you want to capture in your mind.

Love is easy. Love is everywhere. Love is here to stay.

All you have to do is sit up and take notice. And nothing will ever be the same again.

The lesson here is to fall in love with yourself, and with all that the rich tapestry of life has to offer. It is to love without question, without logic or proof. It is then that everything falls right into place. It is then that you know you have arrived. And love, like everything else in life, finds you, the moment you stop looking for it.