Sunday, September 13, 2009

On Love (In All Its Forms)

"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more." --Jane Austen

I once heard that the three hardest things to say are "Thank you," "I'm sorry," and "I love you." This always intrigued me, as these three phrases are part of my daily vocabulary--"I love you" in particular. (And, okay, "I'm sorry" is pretty common too).

Every time I talk to my friends online I greet them wtih "Rawr"--which as any Froggy fan knows, is "I love you" in dinosaur. Those who know the meaning return it. Those who don't, scream and run.

The beauty of this word is that I can say it to my guy friends, too, without worry that they will misinterpret my meaning. I used to say "I love you" without the cryptic word, but when a friend thought I meant it in the romantic sense I stopped. I do love my guy friends--I am not in love with any of them. (I still say "I love you" outright to my girl friends, though!)

So now I'm wondering if I've taken this to the extreme--in a negative sense. Because I repeat it so often, and because half the time I disguise it with my dino word, is the meaning getting lost? When I say 'love ya' to a friend is it out of habit or because I truly want them to know that I do love them?

Unfortunately, sometimes it's out of habit. I greet with 'rawr' and say goodbye with 'love you' because that's what I do. Would it be more meaningful if I said it only sporadically? Should I be like Mr. Knightly--saying it little but feeling it, meaning it, desiring it to be known, much?

That might be the better route--I honestly couldn't say. But I don't think I'm able to do that. When a friend signs off before I have a chance to say I love you, I'm disappointed. Even if it is out of habit, I want you to know I care about you. I want there to be absolutely no doubt about how much I love you.

I think I'm the opposite of Mr. Knightly. If I loved you less I could talk about it less. As it is, you'd better get used to hearing it.

Love you all! <3

9 comments:

  1. I am also torn as to whether it cheapens the effect of the word, but nonetheless I can't stop saying how much I Love the people I Love. Perhaps you should experiment with the people you say it to often by not saying it to them for a week and see if they notice it at all.

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  2. Hmm...That's an intriguing proposition. I don't know if I could do it though! I'd feel bad! :P And what if they say it to me? Do I return it and break the 'love you' fast, or do I ignore it and feel even worse? :P

    Yah, I'm thilly. Really it's just words, because the feeling behind it is there regardless of whether the words are spoken/written. But still.

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  3. No, I think you're right to think about it a lot. It's an interesting idea to think about... My theory is that there's soo much meanness and selfishness in the world, that to tell people that you love them is generally a good thing. It seems like we're both on the same page there. :) And, another point is that constantly telling people you love "I love you," helps YOU to remember to love them on the days when you don't feel like it. Does that make sense?
    Anywho, I know that your "rawr" pm's always brighten my day! :) Love you! xxx

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  4. Yah. I think people need reminders. You never know when someone's having a bad day and truly needs to hear it. :)

    Mhm, it does. And maybe it's just me, but saying it always makes me happier, too. Because when I do then I'm like, 'Wow, look at this amazing person God's put in my life.' Just another way of counting my blessings, I guess.

    ^_^

    Love ya bigger! *huggles*

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  5. I know your problem, Ella :-\ Here's a strange fact--I tend to say "I love you" most online (while chatting usually), sometimes on the phone, and rarely in real life. Because the more removed you are from the object of your love, the easier it is to declare your love :p Weord as that sounds! *rolls eyes* It's true, though... I sometimes feel awkward telling my friends I love them (and that's not even in the romantic sense of the word!)

    But there are some people I always say "I love you" too... and I don't know :-\ It MEANS more when you only say it when you really mean it. And ti FEELS like it means more :-\

    Quick, easy solution ;) type a <3 most days and an "I love you" when you really mean it ;)

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  6. Yah, that makes sense. I guess the same is true for me, too. I rarely actually speak the words. And when I do it's usually in reference to something...if one of my friends does something cute/sweet/funny/&c. I'll be like 'I just love you.' *shrugs* Maybe THAT'S what I should work on...saying it MORE in PERSON! Hmmmmmm......

    I don't know if I'd say it means more, really...because I always mean it...I just don't always stop to think about the meaning behind the words...but the feeling behind the words is there no matter what...it's 1am, I can't think deep thoughts and spew them out coherently anymore. :P

    I suppose I could do that....... I dunno. I like writing <3 but I don't think it's a good enough replacement for the actual phrase. And as I just said, I always mean it. :P

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  7. St. Therese of Lisieux has a quote about how if we're feeling spiritually dry, we should keep telling Jesus we love Him, even if we don't FEEL like we love Him. Because the action of declaring our love helps strengthen our love. So, I think it's good to say as often as possible "I love you," not only to remind the other person that they're loved, but also to remind ourselves that we love them.

    Isn't it funny/beautiful what meaning can go behind one little phrase? :D I love it! Great post, Janny-way to start up some good discussion!

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  8. Yah, I totally agree with that. :)

    Aye. Thanks! :D

    Love you! :D

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  9. I think that, if you truly mean it, the best thing to do is to say that you love someone. I have always had a hard time saying it... I wish it wasn't so hard, but my family didn't grow up saying it all the time so it takes a lot for me to say it.

    I was the caretaker for a 10 year old girl with autism, and she had the purest heart and would always say "I love you," which really touched my heart.

    I think that the world needs more love, and all of us should spread it. =)

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