Deserve.
Love.
Repeat that aloud to yourself. You deserve love, you do. Don't question it or wonder why or how or who loves or is going to love you. You ARE loved.
After a very unusual upbringing, it wasn't a priority for most of the adults in my life to make sure that I felt loved. On a very basic, human level, we are all loved in one way or another. We love and fall in love with people and places and even things, every single day. Our culture loves to love. A stranger on the street will see your smile and have love for you. The sun shines from space, nourishing your body, and it will love you. A dog that you pet while on a walk has love for you. Love is all of the natural happiness, light, and compassion in the universe. Love doesn't have to be complex, but so many make it that way.
Now, feeling loved, that's a whole different ballgame.
We must stop denying ourselves the right to be loved. It has been proven, statistically, that Americans are much harder on themselves than those in other countries. This means that living in the United States will probably make you feel less loved. Weird, huh? I admire celebrities as much as the next person, but I have to say, we live in a culture where many people LOVE celebrities and don't feel that same sort of love for the people that are active in their everyday life. How did we get to the point where people that we will never meet are freely given love, and yet, we have a hard time loving those who surround us daily?
All of this is beside the love between two people in love. In those relationships, we need to express our love in every way that we can. I do my best to build up my husband with encouragements and being present. He shows his love for me by giving me a huge hug when he gets home from work, as well as helping me with everyday tasks and complimenting my hard work/dedication for my work in my internship/college. We show That Special Someone love in so many ways, but I believe that it is vital for them to know that they are loved so purely, truly, and deeply every day, every hour, every minute.
Everyone has the incredible ability to build that world that surrounds them. Don't we want to be surrounded with happiness and love?
Of course, people hurt each other and love can fade, but why don't we open ourselves up the the idea of loving something, ANYTHING, about those we know or those we see everyday. I love that my sister can always make me laugh. I love that my husband gives the best advice. I love that my best friends make time for me in their busy schedules. I love that my Starbucks barista knows to spell my name J-e-n-n. I love that the warm, summer wind dries my hair quickly. I love that my bed welcomes me into sleep every night.
Let's love. Let's love our job. Let's love our friends. Let's love our home. Open up your heart and feel every emotion you can. Quit being afraid of what people say or think and just live. There is a place and time for everything, but love never goes out of style.
