Love by knowing that everything is temporary. Love by knowing that it will not last forever. Love by knowing that it could be the first and the last, the best and the worst, the only one or another one. Love by knowing that nothing is permanent. Love by knowing that this moment can make and break the rest.

***

Love by giving it all out. Love by seeing it whole instead of seeing it partially. Love by loving it all in. Love by knowing that the person in front of you is made of mistakes and tears and wounds and past regrets, as well as wonder and wisdom, hopes and promises, present dreams and future longings. Love by seeing the other person as who they were, who they are, and who they could turn out to be.

Love by being fully present during the best and the worst of times, by bringing your highest self to the table first and foremost, by knowing that everything that is pouring out of you would be none other than love and respect, understanding and compassion, happiness and acceptance.

Love by knowing that people get hurt sometimes, that people have to go through their darkest days and alleyways, that some are trying hard to keep their heads above the water every now and then–and though wherever they are and whatever they are going through may not be able to keep the two of you together, you would still love them nonetheless, since being separated from each other does not make you love them any less.

Love by storing the best memories until they are ripe with meanings, by blowing away the worsts to the winds until they slowly disappear. Love by being honest about how you feel and how you want to feel, about what makes you sad and what makes you happy. Love by knowing that you can’t share something you do not have, by understanding that no matter how much someone loves you, they can never make you feel full if you feel empty when you’re alone. Love by asking yourself every single day, what would I do if love and respect myself; and what would I do if I love and respect the one I love?

Love by listening to the unspoken, by speaking without words, by seeing without judging, by being emphatic of the oblivious. Love by being aware that each word was spoken, each gesture presented, and each moment shared could bloom or wilt a soul; that it takes only a second of carelessness to leave a scar that would faint but won’t completely disappear, that it takes only a second of mindfulness to leave a loving memory that would spark someone’s inner light brighter than ever.

***

Love by knowing that everything is temporary. Love by knowing that it will not last forever. Love by knowing that it could be the first and the last, the best and the worst, the only one or another one. Love by knowing that nothing is permanent. Love by knowing that this moment can make or break the rest.

Love kindly. Love courageously. Love thoroughly.

“We would be together and have our books and at night be warm in bed together with the windows open and the stars bright.”

— Ernest Hemingway.

Lucca, Tuscany, September 2015.

hanny

24 Responses

  1. i think love is over-rated. i respect how everyone feels about love but that sounds like too much of a hard-work. very saintly. at times purely academic.

    ‘love by knowing everything is temporary.’

    i have always thought love comes naturally. it is not always unconditional, sometimes it’s shitty, sometimes it’s platonic, at times it can be farce. and abusive. there is no exact rules or boundaries when it comes to love. does it make us a better person? not necessarily. but at least it is a blessing to know we are equipped with the capacity to recognise love as a valid emotion.

    and as for how we handle ourselves in relation to others, i’d think is a totally different issue.

    love has little to do with two people choose to be together. love is not the main reason for people being kind towards each other. it has lesser to do with congregation of people coming together for a single purpose. love is a solitary emotion once reciprocated, will turn into series of energy that lead to other mundane things in life. It doesnt create miracles.

    ‘love by knowing that this moment could make or break the rest.’

    Our life is a series of events snowballing towards choices we have made. love is like one tiny snowflakes, pure and divine. but on its own it can hardly made any impact.

    hanny, you have a wishful thinking on this thing called love.
    so for the purpose of a greater good, i’d say amen.

If you made it this, far, please say 'hi'. It really means a lot to me! :)

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I am an Indonesian writer/artist/illustrator and stationery web shop owner (Cafe Analog) based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I love facilitating writing/creative workshops and retreats, especially when they are tied to self-exploration and self-expression. In Indonesian, 'beradadisini' means being here. So, here I am, documenting life—one word at a time.

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