Over the past few months I have found myself drilling the words of one of Rupi Kaur's poems into my head, my heart and my soul. The poem is called, "what love looks like," and can be located in her new book titled, The Sun and her Flowers. The words, "love starts here," had a major impact on me in the sense that I began to question what love is and where it can be found. I have often found myself struggling with the concept of love, mainly because nowadays it has so many different definitions, some better than others, it is hard to keep up. Some say love is an action, some say love is just a meaningless word, others say love can be anything you make it out to be. However, I am more interested in where love can be found and how it manages to manifest itself in billions of people around the world. In Rupi Kaur's poem, she speaks about how as individuals we tend to search for love in other people. We tell ourselves that we are truly in the midst of love when we are faced with a significant other or when we receive just enough attention to make us feel wanted. We find ourselves attempting to make homes out of human beings, only to realize that people change and nothing really ever stays the same. The poem challenges one to really question what love means to them are where the most authentic kind of love lies. That's when it hit me. The words, "love starts here." I realized that love is me. Love manifests itself in the individual. That is where you find the most authentic kind of love- when you look into the mirror and finally make the conscious decision to love the person standing in front of you unapologetically. Self- love is the kind of love we all need. It is the kind of love that makes sense. That allows us to be honest with ourselves. It is important to note that self- love is not about loving all the wonderful parts of you, but it is also about loving the parts of you that aren't so wonderful. In 2018 we need to stop searching for love in other places and start searching for it here. Love starts when you begin to see yourself as home. Love starts when you begin to be honest with yourself. Love starts when you begin to make sense of your worth. Love starts when you pick yourself up instead of beat yourself down. Love starts when you accept yourself. Love starts when you put yourself first.
It is easier said than done. But it is also worth a shot.