Everyone defines love in their own way. The Oxford dictionary defines it as “a very strong feeling of liking and caring for somebody, especially a member of your family or a friend”. But I don’t think it stops there, it stretches beyond this description. Love surrounds us everyday. A tapestry that weaves its threads into the fabric of our lives. Others believe that my enthusiasm and passion for love comes from romance, but there is more to it than that. Love resonates and lingers in every moment and interaction we have.
Where to find it?
There’s love in the rhyme of seeing the leaves change color every season. There’s love in wanting to take pictures of what we see is beautiful around us, food, trees, people. There’s love in the laughter of people that brighten up our gloomy days. There’s love in the fruit that my mom cuts for me when I’m feeling stressed. There’s love in the calls with my best friend that makes my bad days good again. There’s love in the tears of summer goodbyes. There’s love in the bickering and hugs I share with my sister.
I once read online that “I become a mirror of everything I’ve loved”. The movies and music I watch from the person that excitedly wanted to share their interests with me. The 90’s dresses and shirts that I borrow from my mom that fit me warmly in her memories. The advice my ex-best friends gave me cheered me up and taught me lessons I needed back then. The brown eyes that I’ve grown to love from my dad. Fragments of everything belong to someone else, yet they are still undeniably mine. I’ve learned to make peace with having parts of what and whom I loved following me because it meant something at the time.
Reclaiming the beauty of vulnerability:
Today, love may come with many “rules” and complications. People fear away from it, whether it’s romantic or platonic because of old pain that came with it. As beautiful as love is, it can be scary, but beautiful things don’t come without risk. But loving and being vulnerable can now be seen as a weakness to some people, sometimes it becomes a competition of who “cares less” wins. I’ve been told many times that caring and loving too much will only cause me pain, but forcing myself to care less is what did. As people, we are supposed to love, we are supposed to feel, feel sadness, feel hurt, feel euphoric, feel something because that’s what keeps us alive.
What I’ll always live by is to always be grateful not only for what you received, but for what you’ve given. Be grateful for the sadness you’ve experienced, because there can’t be sadness if there wasn’t love. Embrace your emotions and surrender to them so that you can find the way back to peace.
Nour Hegazy
Hello! I’m Nour and this is my first year writing for the WEW blog! I’m a second year student majoring in Business Technology Management. I have an interest in any form of poetry or film, and I hope you enjoy reading my blogs!