All We Need is Love

This morning, a good friend of mine sent me a link to a letter that John Steinbeck wrote to his son. Reading the letter made me realize that maybe said friend is paying closer attention than I thought (which is in every way flattering and a huge compliment...thank you, friend)! I'm one of those people who loves to share the inner workings of myself with the world. Yes, I'm the crazy lady on the bus who wants to talk to you about life despite your social cues that you're not interested! To my detriment, sometimes I do it so quickly/frequently that I am stopped in my tracks when something I put out there is caught by another person and returned to me. It surprises me that they have actually taken the time to resonate on what I shared with them. This is my favorite kind of person. They help me slow down, which is something I really need sometimes. They balance me out because they have something I am constantly trying to improve on... Don't we all need these people in our lives?!

Anyways, sidetracking aside, here's what the letter stirred up...my thoughts and philosophy on LOVE.

In the letter, Steinbeck is responding to a question his son asked him about what he should do with a love he feels for a girl at his school. Steinbeck's response almost brought tears to my eyes. Here's my annotated version of what was written:

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it. Yes! The love we feel for another person, be it towards a family member, friend, lover, acquaintance or confidant is a gift! Whether it is a deep love, an admiration, an affection, or just a partiality for another person, we are so lucky that we get to feel it. Why would we ever deny ourselves that feeling? Or not want to send that feeling to the person we feel it for?

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it. My response to this one should go without saying, but it wouldn't be my style to leave something unsaid! :) Love in its purest form is one of the most beautiful things in this world. It's what we're all looking for and the best way to find it is to try and live up to it.

If you love someone—there is no possible harm in saying so—only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration. If a person feels the same way about you or not, isn't genuine love something they deserve to have? Send it to them! Tell them it exists. Let them know that there is something so remarkable about them that you can't help but appreciate it. I know how it makes me feel when someone expresses their love for me, so I would never deny someone the chance to feel the same way. There are many ways to help a person gain confidence. One of the coolest ways is to say, "You are worthy of love."

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another—but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good. Love isn't always returned (in the same form or at all) and that's okay. I'm still going to give it anyway. It would be detrimental to my health to suppress that sentiment because I'm worried that it won't be reciprocated. I like to validate my emotions by allowing myself to experience them so even if the love isn't returned, it's not any less of a good thing. The beauty is in feeling it! I would rather possess it for the moment, despite any hurt it could result in, then never have it at all.

And don’t worry about losing. You had it once, which is the most important part. It's better to have something and lose it then to never have it at all. If it is right, it happens—The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away. If this thought is true, then it is totally worth waiting to find out!

lovemaura