Love.

Inspired by Aphrodite.

I’ve been diving into Greek Mythology recently, and I’ve been specifically drawn to Aphrodite and her energy. In the past year or so, I’ve gotten much better at pouring more energy into myself and being picky about who and what I spend my time on. If I feel something affecting my energy negatively, I reflect on why and then take the necessary steps to either improve the situation or cut something out of my life.

Everyone has their own definition of love, which is why I think sometimes people get lost in translation about how they actually feel, or fall into denial and probably love someone without realising it. The dictionary can give us a solid definition, but I think it’s evident in the world that everyone has their own version of love.

When writing this now, I’m searching the web for the actual definition of love. The first thing standing out to me is that every website’s definition is slightly different. Of course, this is to be expected, since different entries will use various wording and depth, but in this case, I think the change in wording is enough to cause uncertainty.

In the Cambridge Dictionary, the definition is as quoted: “to like another adult very much and be romantically and sexually attracted to them, or to have strong feelings of liking a friend or person in your family.” (Here)

In the Collins Dictionary: “If you love someone, you feel romantically or sexually attracted to them, and they are very important to you.” (Here)

In Britannica: “An emotion characterised by strong feelings of affection for another arising out of kinship, companionship, admiration, or benevolence.” (Here)

In my opinion, I would say the definition from Britannica is the most accurate to what I think love is.

My own definition of love: An intense emotion that is felt when there is admiration, affection, and care for someone or something, usually occurring with the desire to show these deep feelings through one’s gentle actions.

If you look for it, I have a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love is actually all around - Love Actually (2003)

I think that love is truly much more prominent in our lives than we believe it to be. It certainly won’t always be the deepest layer of love, crossing over with sexual and romantic attraction. Still, I do believe there are lighter layers of love intertwined with our everyday lives.

I believe that there is love in the way that someone respects artwork, I believe there is love in being patient and kind with people, I believe that there is love in noticing other people and remembering the little things they say and do, and I believe that there is love in asking someone how they are and genuinely meaning it. All of these things can occur without deep affection and romantic attraction.

Even if all of these things seem somewhat surface-level, I believe they are all examples of different layers of love.

Simultaneously, I believe that wanting to know and accept everything about a person is deep love. I believe that wanting to care for someone and be close to them is deep love. I believe that unapologetically feeling affection and care for someone, even if it is not reciprocated, is a form of love.

If I put all of my beliefs about love together, then I would say I experience love on a daily basis. I’m very fortunate that I can say that.

It’s important to note that all of the examples of love I have listed above can only happen because I genuinely love myself. I look at myself in the morning, and I’m happy with who I am: my looks, my mind, my fashion sense, my confidence, my feminine and masculine energy balanced in a way that feels right, my passion, my desires and hopes.

I can say with full sincerity that I love myself. Sure, I have my ups and downs, but it doesn’t change the core of how I feel about myself. And all of these examples of love listed above can only happen because I truly love myself, and because of that, it’s easier to pour little pieces of love into the world and others without expecting anything back. Keyword: Little. Little pieces of love. Not the whole ocean. Not yet.

Boundaries and discernment are still important. Remember that.

Love is such an intricate feeling, and is often hidden in places, people, and actions. It can creep up in places you didn’t expect to find anything. Love is in every word I have written in this article; love is in every “how are you” I have asked; love is in every coffee I make myself; love is in every song I feel deep within my soul.

I promise you, love is all around. Sometimes you just need to look for it in the hidden corners of the room instead of under the spotlights.

xoxo

Let me know in the comments what you consider love to be.