"Jane, I love you, sincerely..." Tarzan confessed to the blue-eyed Jane.
"What? Why?" Jane asked innocently.
Tarzan answered, "Ju-s-t be-ca-use..."
The above is just a short story that my mind conjured up while looking at these two figurines (below) on the car's dashboard as I waited for the good husband who was then at a grocery store on one drizzly afternoon some months ago.
That story also brought me two decades ago when someone confided that he loved me and for some reason, I asked,"Why me?" to which he replied "Just because..." and nothing else.
It makes me cringe a bit and giggle too remembering it now.
"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close." - Pablo Neruda
Over the years, I realized that love didn't really need any explanation, or questions even.
Love is love, period.
I guess when we were young we usually connect love to the feeling of butterflies on the stomach or being together all the time. But I found out that as we mature, our idea of 'love' changes too.
To me, love isn't just a feeling or an emotion, not even words. It is action, it is what we actually do.
It is silence, it's laughter, it's the tears, it's a smile, it is brilliance, it's stupidity, it's understanding, it's humility, it's realistic, it's practical, it's the ups and downs. Above all, it is patience.
In our culture, I consider these as expressions of love:
- A mother scolding a son for not eating on time.
- Families grieving over a lost loved one.
- Wife nagging her husband to stop smoking.
It's kindness, it is helping, it is sharing time. It is beautiful, it is welcoming. It's selflessness, it is togetherness, it is solitude, it is friendship, it's generosity, it is giving, it's pain, it's joy, it's suffering, it is enduring, it is caring, it is freedom, it is priceless!
- A son offshore working hard and persevering and going through all challenges just so he could provide for their needs.
- A stranger rescuing someone hurt along the road.
- A mother getting through all pregnancy challenges to give birth to a healthy child.
It's nurturing, it cultivates, it's appealing, it's gentle, it's consoling, it's sorrow, it's ecstasy, it's powerful, it's gracious, it's just, it's discovering, it's learning, it's knowing, it's curiosity, it's appreciation.
It's the little annoyances, the sleepless nights, the arguments, the little voices, the despair, the madness, being sorry, forgiveness, trust, faith, belief, wonders, the senseless stuff, the ideals, the dreams, the adventures.
Love is a journey worth taking, a train ride that is worth chasing. It's a mountain worth climbing. It's a river worth the swim. It's a game worth playing. It's a new food worth tasting. It is an endeavor worth doing... a mystery worth discovering. Love never ends.
At one time while writing, I asked the farm boy what is love for him, without thinking, he simply said, "You..."
LOVE is life itself... at least to me...
It is perhaps the little things we do with the intention of making other people happy or ourselves too but oftentimes, the opposite happens, lol! Love is simply amazing in many ways than one. I am sure there's still a lot to discover about it and I am enjoying the ride whilst I am still breathing.
We are currently away from home attending to an aunt's wake. This to me, is an expression of love too. And this in turn reminded me of my husband's speech during my mom-in-law's wake. He was thanking all the people who, in one way or another, helped us get through the difficult times. He mentioned that their footprints were imprinted not on the lands where their feet walked on, but in our hearts... to which I said 'Amen'!
Thank you once again, all of you amazing Hivers for your time! You're "love" in my books too!
