Love is a loaded word with different meanings. Everyone experiences love differently. Throughout history the word has been used to describe desire, physical attraction, magnetism or an attitude. It is also a deep feeling of personal attachment or anyone or anything. Love could be for community, family, higher power. Or on the dark side it is giving or receiving pain on an emotional or physical level as a way of intimacy (sounds like Rihanna’s “Whips and Chains Excite Me” song, but we won’t go there).

You could love a pair of shoes or a habit or an emotion.

What is one willing to do for love? Sacrifice or kill in the name of love. Love for noble aspirations or selfish motives. The list is endless.

There are certain characteristics to recognizing what love is.

Love is both a feeling and an ability. The feeling and ability could be experienced separately or intermingled.

The feeling part has that nervous feeling when you meet someone you have a crush on. It feels like a risk because you fear vulnerability and rejection. It’s a passionate emotion where you feel invincible, lovable and strong. It is physical attraction, wanting to share your time and effort and belongings. It is wanting to get to know someone better and be close on an emotional and physical level.

Love as an ability is allowing someone to be who they are meant to be. The attitude of being kindhearted when others are not. Sacrifice and compromise. Communication, give and take, not one sided, caring about another, trusting. The willingness to risk letting some one really know you. The one you care about is always in your heart.

There is no right or wrong way of expressing love as a feeling or an ability. Love is the strongest emotion in the universe and if you really search your heart and find it, you will move mountains, win the race, change for the better, tie up loose ends, and grow at the same time with or without a beloved.

Don’t be afraid to express love and love will respond accordingly. It is never a waste of time and effort to express love because it will come back to you many times over in one way or another. In a visible or non-visible way.

Expand your world to love yourself, animals and nature. Choose love and you will be a hero to those who know you.

Where there is love there is joy and happiness, contentment and progress. Another benefit to being loving is that you are loving yourself at the same time.

So try it just for one day and see the difference it will make to you and those you interact with. Your love will ripple positive personal power for the good of every being.

Love ya.