Love is in the air! When I think of love, and when a lot of other people think of love, the first idea that comes to mind is generally that of romantic love. We think of Valentine’s Day and rom-coms and roses and relationships. However, this is just one facet of the many-sided concept that is love.
The love you have for your family.
The love you have for your friends.
The love you have for yourself.
The love you have for your pets.
Love for nature, love for the earth, love for strangers, love for humanity, love for life. Love is all around us, love is inside of us, love is abundant and endless and everywhere.
Discussing affirmations with a coworker the other day, she said something that stuck with me. She doesn’t use adjectives in her self-talk, she uses nouns.
Instead of “I am powerful”, she says “I am power.”
Instead of “I am beautiful”, she says “I am beauty.”
Instead of “I am loved”, she says “I am love.”
This resonated with me in that the language implies that love is not just something external that we seek, but something that resides within us. I am love. You are love. We are all love and we are made of love. I have been thinking on this, and thinking on ways that not only can I show love, but that I can be love, for myself and for those around me. What can I do in my day-to-day to personify and to embody the idea of love?
To me, being love means giving grace to myself and others. It means taking care of myself physically, mentally, and emotionally. It means practicing kindness, compassion, and empathy towards myself and others. It means being present and listening with an open heart. It means spreading positivity and uplifting others. Being love is a daily practice, a conscious choice to choose love in every moment.
Being love means forgiving ourselves and others, understanding that we are all imperfect and make mistakes. It means letting go of judgment and embracing acceptance and forgiveness. It means being patient and understanding, allowing space for growth and learning. Being love is about cultivating a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the beauty and goodness in the world.
This month, as love is at the forefront of our minds, our culture, and our media, I will continue reflecting on all of the different facets of what love truly is, where love is found, and the many different kinds of love we see in our lives and our world.
Not only is love in the air, it’s in us.