One day you are a freshman in high school, excited to see what the next four years of your life have to offer you. Next thing you know? You’re a senior in college walking across the graduation stage about the face the real world. Life is crazy, hectic, doesn’t follow a plan and is ever changing. To put it simply, life is way too short.
I strongly believe that everyone in my life is here for a reason, they are serving some purpose and teaching me something that I need to learn. Some people will be in your life longer than you expected, and others will leave sooner than you hoped, but they all serve an important purpose and teach some kind of lesson.
As a society, we generally reserve the words “I love you” for family, close friends and significant others, but I think that should change. I’m not saying you have to tell your professor you love them when they give you back a test or pass it on to the mechanic that changed your oil. I am just suggesting that if someone is important enough to have an impact on your life, then they are important enough to be told that they are loved by you.
Sometimes saying “I love you”, can seem weird or awkward, depending on the context and the person. No one loves everyone the same, the way you love someone depends on the person and what they are to you, and how you feel about them. No matter who they are or what they are to you, they deserve to know that you love them. You may have to clarify that you love them as a friend or as more than a friend, but either way, they should be grateful to hear those words come from you.
I absolutely love talking on the phone, so much more than texting, and before I hang up, I almost always say “I love you”. I say it partly out of habit, but also because I want everyone in my life to know they are loved an appreciated. As bad as it sounds, I also say it just in case that’s the last time I talk to them, that way the last thing they hear from me is that they are loved. Whether they are family, a best friend, or just someone I have known for a month or two.
We are capable of spreading immense amounts of love and I see no reason for us not to. It feels great to hear someone tell you they love you, so why not tell everyone in your life that you love them. It takes seconds but can have such an impact on someone’s life. Words, positive or negative, have a very big influence on people’s lives. By telling someone you love them, you could make their day, or save their life.
I am not saying that I tell everyone I pass on the street or the kid in my class whose number I have in case I need notes that I love them, but I try to make sure everyone, who is impacting my life in some way, knows that they are loved and appreciated. I have had people come into my life and leave before I expected them to and I never told them I loved them, and I honestly regret it. I would rather tell everyone I love them and “overuse” the word love than not tell people how important they are to me and how loved they are by me.