Once upon a time...
This exact line started so many of my favorite stories growing up. People have told me that isn't how it works, love
isn't that simple. What I've learned is that love is that, simple. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it is big romantic
moments; it's long walks on the beach and boxes of chocolates, it's bouquets of roses and candlelit dinners,
it's exotic destinations and grand gestures. Sometimes it is those things. Other times, and,
if we are honest, most of the time, it is the simple things that truly show love.
I'm a hopeless romantic, it is the idea of being "swept off my feet" that makes my heart melt. The grand gestures are just that, grand. The movies tell us this is exactly how "love" works. They tell us that when you get married, your husband will bring you 1000 yellow daisies, he will serenade you with his guitar and perfect voice before feeding you chocolate covered strawberries, and he will live in a constant state of holding the boom box over his head. Actually, the movies don't tell us this. Have you ever noticed how the movies really only tell the story of once upon a time, of boy meets girl? The movies rarely show us what happens after boy marries girl.
Is this because the divorce rate is 50% in America? Maybe. I think that maybe there is something else. I've begun to realize that people love "falling in love" or at least the idea of it. We cheer for the boy when he finally wins the girls heart. We "awww" with the girl when he send roses to her work. We smile through date montages and dream of the day when our prince charming shows up. The reality is "falling in love" is really fun and exciting to watch, it makes us laugh and cry. The weddings are as beautiful as the bride and as magical as the look in the grooms eye.
But what about after the wedding?
I think what the movies and fairy tales don't realize is that there is even more beauty and magic that happens after the wedding. The thing is, this magic and beauty look different. Love takes many forms. When we dream of love, we dream of secret admirer's, love letters, romantic candlelit dinners, and red roses. But that isn't always what love looks like.
Actually, most of the time love looks very different.
Love often looks like dirty dishes being scrubbed clean.
Love looks like going to the grocery store at 10pm because I really want ice cream.
Love looks like watching romantic comedies and killing spiders.
Love looks like staying up later because I can't sleep.
Love looks like kissing with morning breath and coffee breath.
Love is turning the radio off just to talk.
Love hides in unexpected places like pillow fights and blanket forts.
Love is sacrifice.
Love is unexpected and predictable.
Love is kind and patient, even when I'm not.
Love doesn't let you sleep on the couch.
Love looks like doing the laundry.
Love remains.
There is nothing wrong with fancy acts of love, they will always make me swoon.
But true love doesn't always look like this. We must remember that true love takes many forms.
This exact line started so many of my favorite stories growing up. People have told me that isn't how it works, love
isn't that simple. What I've learned is that love is that, simple. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it is big romantic
moments; it's long walks on the beach and boxes of chocolates, it's bouquets of roses and candlelit dinners,
it's exotic destinations and grand gestures. Sometimes it is those things. Other times, and,
if we are honest, most of the time, it is the simple things that truly show love.
I'm a hopeless romantic, it is the idea of being "swept off my feet" that makes my heart melt. The grand gestures are just that, grand. The movies tell us this is exactly how "love" works. They tell us that when you get married, your husband will bring you 1000 yellow daisies, he will serenade you with his guitar and perfect voice before feeding you chocolate covered strawberries, and he will live in a constant state of holding the boom box over his head. Actually, the movies don't tell us this. Have you ever noticed how the movies really only tell the story of once upon a time, of boy meets girl? The movies rarely show us what happens after boy marries girl.
Is this because the divorce rate is 50% in America? Maybe. I think that maybe there is something else. I've begun to realize that people love "falling in love" or at least the idea of it. We cheer for the boy when he finally wins the girls heart. We "awww" with the girl when he send roses to her work. We smile through date montages and dream of the day when our prince charming shows up. The reality is "falling in love" is really fun and exciting to watch, it makes us laugh and cry. The weddings are as beautiful as the bride and as magical as the look in the grooms eye.
But what about after the wedding?
I think what the movies and fairy tales don't realize is that there is even more beauty and magic that happens after the wedding. The thing is, this magic and beauty look different. Love takes many forms. When we dream of love, we dream of secret admirer's, love letters, romantic candlelit dinners, and red roses. But that isn't always what love looks like.
Actually, most of the time love looks very different.
Love often looks like dirty dishes being scrubbed clean.
Love looks like going to the grocery store at 10pm because I really want ice cream.
Love looks like watching romantic comedies and killing spiders.
Love looks like staying up later because I can't sleep.
Love looks like kissing with morning breath and coffee breath.
Love is turning the radio off just to talk.
Love hides in unexpected places like pillow fights and blanket forts.
Love is sacrifice.
Love is unexpected and predictable.
Love is kind and patient, even when I'm not.
Love doesn't let you sleep on the couch.
Love looks like doing the laundry.
Love remains.
There is nothing wrong with fancy acts of love, they will always make me swoon.
But true love doesn't always look like this. We must remember that true love takes many forms.