I was having one of my random chats with someone when he said I was looking happier these days. I smiled and told him that I am a woman in l0ve. He giggled and winked at me and although I understood what that wink meant, I acted like I didn't. I mean, I can't come and be assuming things and putting words in people's mouths na.
When I kept a straight face and acted like I did not fully grasp why he had this mischievous look on his face, he went on to say, "so the boyfriend is treating you right na". I laughed and told him that when I said I am a woman in love, I wasn't talking about a boyfriend.
This is not an entirely isolated incident. You see, most times when I write about love, people assume I am talking about am0rous, most times er0*tic relationships. However, in reality, I am not. I am talking about love. Everything that constitutes l0ve. A father's l0ve for his family. A mother's l0ve for her children. A child's l0ve for his/her parents. A teacher's l0ve for his/her students. A friend's l0ve for a friend. A human's love for another human.
I am irreligious but one of my favorite stories in the bible is the story of Jonathan and David. That story never held me captive till I recently started reading the bible again as an unbeliever. Reading it the way I read other books has made me view certain stories in a different light.
The story of Jonathan and David is not preached about a lot in most churches as such you have more self-centered people who do not understand love beyond relationships that lean towards the er0**tic or towards marriage. Their l0ve was greater than the l0ve for women, greater than every er0 tic or r0**mantic feeling, beautifully pure l0ve.
That's a beautiful model of what l0ve is. L0ve is pain. L0ove is sacrifice. Lo*ve is giving up your "rightful" spot for others. Lo0ve is breathing life into people and helping them stand. L0ve is giving of yourself. Lo*ve is support. Lo@ve is care. L0ve is being there whenever you can. L0ve is helping them be there for themselves when you cannot. Lovve would make you more tolerant. It would make you expand beyond yourself. It would make you lose a lot of fear. It would make you glow.
When I say I am a woman in l0ve, I mean I have been loved and I am still lo..ved in this beautiful way that is transforming me and helping me lo..ve others.
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