Saturday 22 October 2011

Like lovers do

When you are in love with life
you see the world
through the eyes of a lover
Seeing with loving eyes
means noticing the beauty in everything
marvelling at the magic in every moment
and looking for the love in everyone.
(from "Secrets about life every woman should know"- Barabara De Angelis.

As for the song, Like Lovers do- most people would interpret it to mean being in a happy, loved up mood because you're in love with someone. I know that's what I thought of it up until reading Barbara's book.

But just listen to this first line:

"There is a paradise that can be found, a better life to bring us round and all we really need to do is see the world like lovers do."

That goes so beyond just 'being in love' because you've found the love of your life. It truly means being in love with life- finding your own paradise- all you have to do is see the world in that 'loved up way' like a person does when they do first fall in love- and everything seems exciting and wonderful and comes to life. If we can sustain that feeling we can fall in love every day- in love with life itself- and find paradise and live a better life- seeing the world through loving eyes like lovers do.

Isn't that beautiful? Makes the song take on a whole new, spiritual significance for me now! :-)

There is a paradise that can be found...

Like Lovers Do

I love this song. It reminds me of relaxed, happy, cozy evenings with my boyfriend- who introduced me to the movie Serendipity, and the soundtrack of the film that this song is on.

The reason I am thinking of this song right now is because of this passage in "Secrets about life every woman should know" (which is an excellent book I would recommend to all women, especially those with life challenges such as health problems and mental issues such as depression, low self esteem, etc). The passage reminded me both of the song and of an experience I had in a drama class.

Thinking of this experience made me realise, I was very much in touch with my own love when I was a young teen and even pre-teen. You see, what happened was we were having a discussion about 'being in love' (despite us only being a year 7 class) and how it made you feel, and what I said- speaking from the heart- I could tell really surprised my teacher. I remember he looked at me with surprise, like he was in awe that something as profound could come from someone so young (I must have been only 12, at most 13).

I can't remember exactly what I said, but I do remember I said it with feeling and passion. It was one of those moments where you aren't shy to say what you think and you're not censoring yourself, because you're caught up in describing how something feels, you're so caught up in it you're almost feeling it, tasting it, living it. I remember I was gazing out of the window whilst describing it, thinking of my latest crush (funnily enough I don't remember who that was at the time!) and I said something along the lines of:

"When you're in love you feel more ALIVE. Everything seems more exciting, you look at everything in a different way because you feel love inside you and everything else seems better. You walk around feeling really happy inside and everything looks wonderful because you're in love."

Remembering this moment, a snapshot of time in my life, a moment that could easily have slipped away into the mists of time never to be recalled again, helped me deeper into my recent realisation about love. I did have that powerful feeling of love inside me, even before I'd ever been loved. I was always very much what I called 'a romantic'- I daydreamed so much about love, I could not WAIT to find that 'special someone' and fall in love. Trouble is, it didn't happen. I got rejections and disappointments. By the time I found love, I'd closed off so much from it I couldn't (and still am having trouble) really feeling it.

I am beginning to think now though that these things did happen for a reason (as I always do believe) but it's a reason I hadn't recognised until now. I was daydreaming about love but projecting it out of myself, romanticising about 'finding love' in the from of a boyfriend, like only that form of love could give me the 'juice' to live like lovers do. As a 12/13 year old, I was deeply in love with life. I had my crushes and I daydreamed and I felt all this strong, powerful love that I just could not WAIT to give to someone.

Now, what I am starting to realise is I wasn't meant to give this TO someone. It's been mine all along, all I'm 'meant' to do is bask in it, enjoy it, live life in a loving way- be a loving person- feel the love in my heart and let it influence all that I do.

I'm going to live like lovers do- no matter what. At 13 I had an immense, powerful love to give- it is not something I can or should give away. It is not meant for a 'special someone' because no one else can feel my love. What I have learnt from this book is that we can only ever feel the love we each have inside. Whatever or whomever it is directed towards. As a teenager mine was directed towards these crushes that never really noticed me- but it didn't matter that they didn't because I still felt that love. Life was still all bright and shiny if I'd simply just brushed past my crush and touched his arm for a brief, sweet moment.

The love was in me back then and it can be awakened within me again, and not only that, now that I've realised that I am the one- the only one- who can unlock and free that love, I am going to do everything I can to make it bold and bright. That romantic heart of mine is going to fall in love- very deeply and sweetly in love- and rise up in an amazing, uplifting power and spirit. Falling in love with life and rising up in joy- even ecstacy. Even through the mundane, even through the stress. What I must remember is everything happens for a reason- life is a beautiful, wonderful thing- like an Orchestra, a grand symphony, playing out in perfect harmony. Except every one of us is deaf. We cannot hear the harmony. We just have to trust- and love. Though all of it, everything.

This, I believe, is the true meaning of "Love conquers All."