Sunday, February 14, 2010

love today

so, i like to pretend that i'm a cynic. i don't really know why.
i think sarcasm and cynicism is pretty humorous, i guess.
i like to act like i hate valentine's day and love and all that stuff.
i like to pretend i'm bitter. it gets pretty good laughs.
but you wanna know the truth?

i LOVE love.

i am a ridiculously hopeless romantic.
i love all things sappy and mushy. to the point that i almost annoy myself.
i get all giddy when i see little old couples.
romantic comedies are my all-time favorites.
poetry makes me swoon. i cry when i hear certain love songs.
like i said, it's pretty ridiculous.

but it's not just romantic love, either.
i love to tell my friends and my family that i love them.
i love for people to know how special they are to me.
it makes me happy to make other people happy.
i feel like everyone should know how worthy they are of love.
all people deserve to be told that they have value; that they are cherished.

call me naive, but i think the beatles hit the nail on the head when they said, "all you need is love".
it's the beginning and the end of all things.
there is no such thing as undeserving of love. it's meant for all.
some just are a little more apprehensive to accept it.

one of my favorite quotes says, "i love the idea of being in love, but it's the actual responsibility of BEING love that i can't deal with"(jaci valasquez).
ugh. so true. everyone wants to be loved, but when it comes time to being love, to loving without condition or judgement or retrainst, that's the tough part.
we have these limits, these standards, these conditions that we put on love and people.
we somehow have this idea that we have the right to say who does or does not deserve to be loved. what is that about?
we are loved because SOMEONE first loved us. who are we to withhold that from another person? but we all do it. we are all guilty at one time or another of holding out.

then there's the fear of loving someone and not having them love you back. the fear of offering everything you have and having someone take and take and take but never give to you in return. that, i think, is terrifying. but, if you never try, you'll never know, right? if you never give that love to people, then you never give them the chance to love you.

but what about letting someone love you? in my opinion, that might be even more terrifying then NOT having someone love you back. because if you allow someone to love you, then you have to allow them to know you. completely. that's horrifying. but, i believe, totally worth it. knowing that someone knows all your crap. all your history, all your flaws, all your quirks and still loves you in spite of it all...that's absolutely beautiful.

love is the greatest give one can give or receive. yes, there is always the chance that you will get hurt, but there is also the chance that you won't. mother theresa said, "i have found the paradox that if i love until i hurt, then there is no hurt, only more love". i think she may have been on to something.

so friends, have the courage to show those around you that you really LOVE them.

and please, please, PLEASE, let them love you back.

"now these three remain: faith, hope and love. but the greatest of these is love."

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Well Carrie,
that is one of the most wonderful, amazing writings I have ever read..you are such a talented writer..unbelievable that so much wisdom can come from one so young. You rock!!!
Keep on going...
hugs, glenda@serendipity cottage

Jerald said...

Carrie, great insight on love and what it really is...You really challenged me on that quote from Jaci. So tell me how's it going "BEING" love. You gotta write us something speaking on that a bit more, lol