Love is a topic long examined by the poets, and I am hardly the first to remark upon its nature.
Nor will I be the most eloquent to describe its allure.
But nevertheless I am here to explore it as I feel it.
I find love in my art. This love is reverent, searing and deep. It has multiple states of being. It bubbles below the surface, sneaks up on me in a realization of beauty, and explodes in joyous bursts of energy.
I love when the pianist plays a song from a great ballet in class, and I move to it, and I fall into the emotions of the music all over again. I love when stage lights highlight muscles and take my breath away with displays of power. I love it when hands touch and something real happens that I understand with a burst of clarity. I love when someone performs, and I see their dreams come to life, and I cry because it is happening for them. I love when it happens for me.
I love the fierce and tender feeling of dedicating yourself to something every day. The quiet determination that is not always evident but always present. The knowledge that, even if you end up moving on, the ache of this love will always be present somewhere within you.
❤
I find love in family. This love is huge and encompassing and unending. It is a mother’s patience, a father’s devotion, a brother’s teasing laced with sweet support.
I love maternal hugs that are the greatest comfort when you need them most. A sense of coming home, of being cared for, of being nurtured and seen. I love laughter and jokes between siblings and cousins, and the sense that despite life’s changes you will always have each other. I love the pride and connection and joy and sadness and hope that is experienced through generations of shared history.
Family can sometimes be fraught with difficulty and challenging for many. But a love for family is one I feel all the same.
❤
I find love in friendship. This love is warm and exuberant and fulfilling. We strive for connection in life and a friendship is one of the most joyous connections available to experience. I feel strongly that one must not underestimate the enduring power of platonic love.
I love late night talks that channel the strangest parts of ourselves and unite us in laughter and matching unhinged energy. I love sharing bits and jokes that bring brightness to a dull day. I also love reaching out a caring hand when life is not so bright. I love the feeling of immense pride I get when a friend accomplishes something wonderful, I love knowing that they feel the same way for me. I love tokens of appreciation and lasting affection that change through the years but always have the same heart and playful spirit. I love the chance to support someone through their ups and downs, no strings attached, the chance to always be there for them, even as their wants and needs and path evolve.
I have so much gratitude for the friendships in my life. They have shaped me and guided me and gotten me through tough times. Platonic love is not an experience to be undermined or ignored in favor of something perceived as grander.
❤
I find so, so much love for this world that I’m in. This love is singing, sighing. It’s subtle, but it is clear. It can be present in anything, and it has the potential to be present in everything.
I love the way snow lands on the mountains before descending into the valley, the way they watch over us with silent sentinel. I love crisp breezes, fall air, the taste of rain. Dazzling sunsets and rolling clouds, hot coffee and cold water, tastes that explode off my tongue and sensations that comfort and ground me. The act of breathing and being present in this universe and the thought that we are here, now.
❤
There is so much love around us. Society tells us we need to go and find it to be happy. But all we really need to do is open our eyes.
Happy #aceweek, to all who celebrate :);). Here’s to not searching for the love you think you need but seeing and expressing the love you have now, however and to whomever you like.
Xoxo,
Olivia
Plantbased in Pointe Shoes 