To define love is an impossible task.
Each of our individual selves offer something entirely unique to this world. When you mesh your qualities with someone you admire, something magical happens. A new form of love is formed. A love that can only best be explained between you and your partner.
Love has been a muse for artists since the beginning of time and has inspired them in many forms. Sometimes, it feels like our words fall short of descriptions and our paintings or drawings only offer a glimpse of what we feel.
Love is always and forever. It is constantly flowing and finding new ways to present itself.
Romantic Love Blurred
When it comes to romantic relationships, the depiction of love has become blurred. Films give us an idea of how love should look and what is expected from you and your partner. This is no new thought; we know that Hollywood’s portrayal of romance fits into a single confined box and that anything outside of that is ‘wrong.’
One of the true benefits of being in love is how our attentiveness to our partner requires us to be present. We don’t fall in love with how a person looks at face value, but rather, how they look when they are taking a sip of coffee, treating strangers, reading a book, or tasting something new for the first time.
With presence we notice these things, and that is one of the biggest reminders here: when we fall out of presence, we begin to suffer. Not just in life, but also in our relationships and love.
One multi-talented artist, Philippa Rice, decided to depict her life in the form of comics with her real life boyfriend. She created a comic book titled Soppy, which contains simple enthrals (or should I say delights or charms?) of living with someone you love.
True love isn’t always about the big romantic gestures. Sometimes it’s about sympathizing with someone whose tea has gone cold or reading together and sharing a quilt. When two people move in together, it soon becomes apparent that the little things mean an awful lot. The throwaway moments in life become meaningful when you spend them in the company of someone you love.
Recommended Book: The 5 Love Languages
Love can be found in making the perfect cup of coffee together in the morning…
When shopping for food becomes a ritual…
Knowing when to say sorry…
That there’s no place you’d rather be than resting on their lap…
Knowing when to pick your battles…
That some days will be tough, but you’ll always have each other…
When their company gives you more peace and comfort to complete a task…
When they know you need a hug…
Being the only two people in the room even if it’s in a packed restaurant…
Sharing your firsts, even if they may not be the best…
When Ikea tests your patience, but you always manage to pull through…
Always being sure that you are touching in one way or another through the night…
Finding out your best cuddling positions…
Being honest in the kindest way…
Spending time together in the most routine way…
Learning to try new things…
When reading in bed together, completes your day…
When you can stumble into a new area together and feel safe…
Always being there when they need you most…
When a cold wind doesn’t affect you because of their warm heart…
When the decision for dinner is the hardest dilemma of your day…
Staying up late, still getting to know each other…
Knowing, that at the end of the day all that matters…
Is having them in your arms…
These images not only remind us of our love for our partners but more importantly, to continue to be present when with them. While love is always present, if it is not nurtured and given attention to, it will dwindle in our perception and fade. The opportunity for something great will be lost, all because we chose not to be aware of the physical form of love in front of us.
[The images in this post are found on Philippa Rice’s website.]
via Collective - Evolution