I’m not sure what made you click on this post, maybe you were bored? Maybe you thought I was going to write about love hearts and all those ‘Oh so cute’ moments my partner and I share?. It could be that you start reading and completely relate or perhaps you’re like me and enjoy the fact we get to feel these emotions and all the ups and downs involved.
But before I start talking about love, valentines and all that jazz. I want you to know that you are loved, it might not be by the person you considered ‘The one‘. It could be that your pet dog has more love in his heart for you that you ever realised, or to your parents, despite the fact your all grown up, you still mean the world. Regardless, you are loved, even if you have no idea.
On the 14th February each year, everyone becomes obsessed with red roses, fluffy teddy bears and ornate displays of ‘love’. It’s a great time for retailers, florists rejoice and restaurants become fully booked up.
Yet, I can’t help but question is that what love is truly about?
Why are we so forthcoming about such a ‘generalised’ idea of love? When the true moments when you realise just how in love you are with that person, happen when you least expect it.
Try as you might, but deep down objects won’t keep you warm. They won’t talk to you in exactly the same way, regardless of if you’re fully made up, or sitting in your pyjama bottoms, your old faithful dressing gown and the remains of last night’s make up.
It’s the coffee and scrambled eggs when your head hurts from too much prosecco, it’s the way that they know something is up, even if you’re too stubborn to admit it. Or the comfort you feel from their warm body lying next to you and the fact you still care, despite that fact they snore like a hog and it’s kept you awake for the past hour.
A valentine’s card won’t hold your hand when things get rough, during a long-term relationship no one can predict the problems and heartache that might lay ahead. Real love is when supporting, guiding and being there for that person comes above everything, it’s the half smile, a long embrace when the world feels cold. It’s looking for that person in a crowded room and feeling joy and relief at the sight of their face or the offhand look that speaks volumes without saying a word.
I realised I had found true love when I found someone I cared for in a different way, someone that made me want to change for the better and made me excited for the future. I find myself lost for words when it comes to further express those feelings, it could well be due to the fact some things don’t need to be said.
He didn’t tell me he loved me on a lazy Sunday in bed, or via gaudy gifts and overpriced displays. He told me he loved me on a crowded flight, by handing me a headphone and staring at me whilst I listened to the words of ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ – I knew what he was saying and it was brilliant, meaningful and unforgettable in the best possible way.
The best things about romance are the parts that no one needs to know, the moments that you share in private should mean more than what you broadcast on social media.
Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own. Loving someone is doing more than you say you’ll do to show your love.
Katie
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