All you need is love

What is your definition of love?? I can tell you mine has changed dramatically since I was born.

For example I was certain that I was in love with my teddy bear when I was about 3 or 4. It wasn't actually a teddy bear, it was a stuffed dog with a plastic black nose. I named it Ginger, that dog went EVERYWHERE with me. At that point in my life I would say the word love went along the lines of protection and companionship. I felt lost if I didn't have that dog with me. Ginger was my security blanket, she allowed me not to feel alone in situations where I felt uncomfortable. This was my first real experience with loving something other than my family. 

Family love is something completely different. That love is a surrounding mass of advice, encouragement, motivation, and guidance. I guess you could say family love is this sort of comforting hug each and everyday. Families are also good at "tough love" they know when to give you that life lesson that you don't necessarily want but you absolutely need. My family may not be the most perfect family but I am thankful that I can receive their love everyday.

Now lets keep moving with my life loves. When I was around 7 or 8 I had a deep passion for Legos. I would even be willing to say it was an obsession. I became so consumed when I started to build. It was like the world was shut off and it was just me and my legos. I just kept thinking that this would be something I would do forever. Of course when your 8 years old forever means until something else new comes along. I just felt this overwhelming sense of accomplishment when I was playing with my legos. It seems silly now but I actually did have a long fascination for those small little blocks.

When I was around 12 years old I got my first pair of basketball shoes. I will never forget them because they were the ugliest pair of shoes I ever put on my feet. I loved them because I got to pick them out. They were all black with jagged white strips coming up from the bottom. The white strips almost looked like a shark bite. They were horrendous but so flashy. That's exactly why I got them. They kind of looked like this but were black, white, and red. No picture will do those shoes any justice. They made me feel dominant and confident when I was on the court. I took good care of them too. I cleaned them after every single game to make sure the "flash" never wore off. This type of love actually turned me into a sneakerhead. Who knew at 12 I would become such a lover of shoes?

I experienced puppy love in my middle school and high school years. The definition speaks for itself. We all go through it, we get fixated on someone and basically stalk them just to get them to notice we are alive. It's a phase.

Once I reached college I started to gain a real understanding of love, well at least my definition of it. Love can be incredible, it can sweep you off your feet within a single moment. It can make you do things that you didn't think were possible. It can grow into something so large that the whole universe can see. It can warm your heart after your world has gone cold. What I enjoy most about love is that it is ever changing. The definition may be pretty cut and dry but its your interpretation of that word that makes it special to you. Its your definition that makes your love unique.

love it patient, love is kind