Love - L-O-V-E

The magical four-letter word infuses a sense of warmth and fuzziness, a belief that propels the winds of time and strides through the storms to keep the ones who beckon our hearts alive. Amor as gallant in its notions often seems so convoluted with its essence, of how it should be and how we should feel once we are in the whirlwind of caught-up emotions that cease our ability to function like a normal human being. At Least I have heard about it, that the wind of love often rides us in a flair of irrationality where one becomes enveloped in their emotions, forgetting their sense of responsibility. The content we consume and the movies we grew up watching all tell us that love is the sole purpose and essence of one’s being and that our existence should revolve around finding it.

As I grew up from a young teenager into an adult, the idea of love translated from being a tale of fairytales where the vortex of our lives revolved around Prince Charming to the practical realism that life centred me around. Life has its ways of teaching us a lesson to ground ourselves in the gospel truth of,” You attract what you are.” Whether it is the circumstances we want, the friendships we want, the career we want or the dream partner we want, everything we want to manifest in our lives, we must be an energetic match to it in our individualistic stance. I yearned for a love that felt like the movies, growing up as a writer, curating yarns and poetries around the beauties and eternal stories of love gave me immense serenity. I had this counterfeited belief of a perfect love story that revolved around having it all, of being ensnared by the man I would love and living a life full of joy and free of pain. But as the daunting realisation started to hit me the dreams I had were the tips of a deeper cycle of life. That there is no love without pain, there are no yarns of eternal love stories where there is no perseverance or understanding. And most importantly, you cannot meet the love of your life, because guess what the person is you!

Growing up in a close-knit, where the maxim "putting others first" was the norm. I was determined to ignore the whole "love yourself first" mantra because it sounded like a foreign language. However, last year was a shock., losing myself and finally finding myself again taught me the importance of loving oneself before spreading that love to others. It made me pause and reflect. It turns out that accepting the whole package—the good, the bad, and the awkward—is what it means to love oneself. It was in the midst of all the family drama and the chaos of life that I realized that it's true to trust yourself and accept your flaws and strengths. The person who understands you the best is the one looking back at you in the mirror in a world where comprehension is like a rare Doraemon. It changes everything to start your day with a pat on the back for even the smallest accomplishments. Sure, you could be accused of being conceited or a show-off, but so what? Because the people who truly support your advancement are ultimately more valuable than gold.

Promoting personal development, accepting your eccentricities, and confronting setbacks head-on are the keys to self-love. Remember that your journey is entirely your own, whether you're enjoying the sunshine or navigating through difficult times. Have faith that each misstep in the dark is a step closer to accepting your amazing self. I've learned over the past few years that self-love is the foundation of resilience, authenticity, and amazing relationships; it's not just a trendy term. Resilience, authenticity, and those incredible connections are all powered by it. Being your cheerleader is the ultimate power move, so keep that in mind as you prepare for your next round. Cheers to standing up for yourself and becoming the undisputed hero of your tale!

As for finding true love, well I guess that it strikes when one least expects it. I hope you hold your dreams of finding your kind of love akin to being whole in yourself and knowing that you are enough of yourself and you do not need anything or anyone external of you to complete you. So that when love finds you, your sense of self and authenticity shines bright and makes space for a love that celebrates you, empowers you and most importantly gives you the ease to be nothing but you.

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