Fall in Love Every Day

 

Over the past year, I have fallen deeply in love with life.

I have fallen in love with the kindness expressed to me by loved ones and strangers. I have fallen in love with the unanticipated, coincidental way that events, people, and experiences suddenly and all at once make sense. I have fallen in love with dancing at 3am with the most incredible people. I have fallen in love with crazy adventures amidst a global pandemic. I have fallen in love with laughing in situations where my former self would not have. I have fallen in love with experiencing new cultures and learning from people’s ways of life. I have fallen in love with expressing love, gratitude, and candour. I have fallen in love with my impulsive nature. I have fallen in love with learning to stand up for myself and others. I have fallen in love with getting drenched in the rain. I have fallen in love with my godawful singing, uncoordinated dancing, and clumsiness. I have fallen in love with inspiring others. I have fallen in love with expressing myself through writing and art. I have fallen in love with being immersed in nature and feeling calm by water. I have fallen in love with swimming in the ocean. I have fallen in love with how different we all are. I have fallen in love with talking to strangers on the street. I have fallen in love with the most passionate, intelligent, inspiring individuals. I have fallen in love with big things, little things and everything in between. Most of all, I have truly, deeply, inexplicably become infatuated with life.

I have realised that the secret to life is simply to fall in love: with yourself, other people, your hobbies, this planet, its adventures and this crazy, wacky journey which is life. Only then may you realise how lucky you are to be alive and how much there is to be grateful for.

I am not saying that life is not difficult. Life can be a bitch; it can really suck- there is no denying that. But in times of hardship, I remember that life is a rollercoaster and for as long as you are feeling hurt, you will also experience the joys and beauty of this universe. No matter how hard life gets, things always work out- all it takes is a change in perspective.

Yesterday, I met up with a friend with whom I spent a couple of hours before he had to catch a last-minute train back home owing to the announcement of the new government restrictions. Nevertheless, this gave us enough time to reconnect and the fact that he had to leave on that night reminded me how unpredictable life can be. I am grateful for the fact I was able to help him move out and see him off during these hectic times where every moment feels like it needs to be cherished because you really do not know when the next opportunity you may have to see someone is.

From a great deal of experiences, I have learned that life always has a funny way of working out and you will meet the right people in the right place at the right time because everything really does happen for a reason. Learning to laugh at myself in situations has truly enriched my perspective of life. Let me set the scene of a perfect example of this the other day. True to myself, I was vibing to music on a train platform, contemplating the beauty of humanity and how grateful I am for everyone around me. During the course of my daydreaming, I managed to miss my train and watched it slowly pull out of the station right before my eyes. I could only laugh. Ensuing this dramatic moment, as I waited for the next 40 minutes before the next train arrived, I had a conversation with a man who was adamant that covid-19 is a hoax and that the government was plotting against us. Needless to say, this was an interesting experience and at the very least, it provided me with some evening entertainment and a story to tell(!).

Life is just too short not to take advantage of every opportunity for new experiences and I simply cannot bear the thought of looking back at my life in however many years’ time and questioning why I didn’t help someone out, tell someone I love them or take a daring risk. At the end of the day, we are all going to die one way or another and even if my impact is minute on a planet with 7 billion other people, at least I know that I have had an impact on a few people be that by helping, making them laugh or inspiring them. And that is all I can hope for in this big world. So, in the words of Hozier, “I fall in love just a little ol’ little bit every day” and I really hope you do too.