Love comes in many forms. We love our friends, our family, our pets, and our significant others. It can transform us, change our perspectives, and help us grow. Love feels different for everyone and manifests itself into our lives in special ways. I asked a few people to tell me about a time they felt the most loved. Here are their responses:
Emily (Female, Age 18-20): “Throughout my first year of college, my older brother called me almost every weekend from Colorado and asked me about my week. He helped me plan a trip to go to his house to visit him during winter break for a week because I was feeling very sad and homesick and I missed my family.”
Christian (Male, Age 18-20): “It was the last night on the cruise ship, and I had just met the love of my life. We were having a down-to-earth conversation. I felt that we could have talked for hours and hours. I was able to open up to her about things that I am normally shy about because she was listening intently and cared about what I had to say. It was liberating to be able to have a genuine conversation with her, knowing that she accepted every part of me. And then, she grabbed me by the hand. She leaned her head on my shoulder and looked up at me. And, I was just staring at her beautiful face and… I don’t know. Then we kissed.”
Roger (Male, Age 50-60): “I guess I associate love with caring. I felt the most loved when I felt that someone really cared for my well-being. This came mostly from my mom and my dad. As always, parents give their children unconditional love.”
Tyler (Male, Age 20-30): “I felt most loved when I was going through a tough time in college and my housing situation was really bad. I just moved into a house that I’ve never seen before. We moved all of my things in, including a bed, cabinets, and desks. My landlord started increasing the price within a month and started imposing different rules around the house. My parents helped me find another place and gave me a hand when I moved there. They wanted me to live comfortably for the year. I felt that they had my back and supported me so much.”
DJ (Male, Age 10-12): “When I was sick and my brother stayed home to take care of me.”
Justine (Female, Age 18-20): “I had just finished a week of company info sessions and recruitment- it was one of the most tiring weeks I’ve had, I think. I was going to hang out with some of my friends and one of them came all the way up to UBC to pick me up and drive me back to my hometown, Richmond. That in itself seemed absurd to me because I could’ve bussed, but then when he picked me up, he got me my favorite bubble tea and sushi too. I was so surprised and just felt reassured after going through recruitment.”
Kaley (Female, Age 18-20): “After Jacob and I broke up last year because of long-distance, he came up to visit that same weekend and said, ‘I needed to see you. I don’t want this to end.’ He normally isn’t really a spontaneous person, but that was a very spontaneous event and I felt very loved and special.”
Samantha (Female, Age 18-20): “When I am at a really low point and someone that means a lot to me will come out and hold me and tell me that everything is okay. During my senior year of high school, I experienced a few mental breakdowns, but I knew that there were always going to be important people in my life that would care for me and tell me that everything was going to be okay.”
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Love is such an important part of all of our lives, and we can spread and receive love in multiple ways. People may not always remember what we have done for them, but they will always remember how we made them feel. It is so important to do things for others out of love and kindness so that the important people in our lives know how much they mean to us. Remembering to treat people well allows us to deepen our relationships with each other, and will help us to develop a healthy and positive connection with our loved ones.
Image Source: Pexels