Three Little Words

“Those three little words are thrown around so much that after a while they begin to lose their touch.” – Smash Mouth

“Those three words are said too much, then not enough.” – Snow Patrol

We sing about it. We watch movies about it. There are countless references to it in real life and in pop culture. We smile when we give and receive it. We cry and die a little when it is denied or stripped away. And yet we really don’t have much of a grasp of what it truly is.

“Love is a many splendid thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love.” – Moulin Rouge

We experience it yet we cannot ever really describe it to someone who has not felt it. What is it? Why do we crave and thrive on it? Why can we not live without it? Can we live without it?

There is truth in the words of some of the songs and movies and slogans – we either throw love around far too casually, or we forget to address it as frequently as we ought to. We often fail to acknowledge love when it stares us directly in the face; but life is so short and so fragile that we really can’t afford to let these words and feelings go unspoken and unfelt. Time and reality strip from us the moments that should be filled with appreciation and togetherness – we really don’t spend enough time with the people we love, or at least telling them how much we love them. When we least expect to be robbed of the beauty in our lives, it is unceremoniously ripped from our grasp and replaced with a hollow pit and an empty cavern.

So what does it narrow down to? What is the solution to this “problem”? Perhaps we should practice saying what we mean to say when we mean to say it. Perhaps we should take a moment each day to acknowledge how truly lucky we are to be surrounded by the people we choose to surround ourselves with, and to be in the company of those from whom we seek love and acceptance. Maybe we are all a little spoiled, and maybe we do all need to address our fortunes far more passionately than we currently do. Love is a universal truth that I believe everyone experiences, even in the smallest form; cultivating that little bit of love makes it that much easier to open our mouths and say those three little words: I love you.