Love, Highs, and Lows

It’s funny how I gather snippets of wisdom from books and movies. One such snippet that I’ve been trying to live by is, “We are what we love, not what loves us,” from the movie Adaptation. Although this seems to be a way to be willfully, albeit blissfully, unaware, it’s also a way to salvage my core being and not let others dictate my emotions. Someone asked me what love meant to me last year, and I said that love could not be genuine unless it was reciprocated. Now, I no longer think so. I think that we love someone because we believe in his or her goodness, and this reflects more on ourselves than it does the person we love. So, it doesn’t matter whether the feeling is reciprocated – the very fact that we’ve kept caring (even to the point of foolishness) defines us as hopeful souls that believe in the good in people.

Some of my friends have been experiencing some lows recently. We’ve all been questioning our purpose and direction: Have we settled and become too complacent? I’ve been telling my friends that feeling lows is part of living life intensely; it’s part of wanting to experience everything more, and wanting to enjoy everything more. I’ve had a couple of years of highs and lows, but I’m moving forward constantly, and that’s all that matters.

I’ve started on my attempt to improve my French again. I get many a grin when I say that one of my new year’s resolutions is to learn French, but I’ve started, and I’m proud of myself for persevering. I’ve picked up some French books at the library, and have been reading a chapter a day. My five years of high school French shall not go to waste. Now, if only I could stick to my other resolutions….