The Best of Me

 I felt like writing about giving those around us the best of ourselves. Love has and always will be a mystery to us. I have however discovered that when someone gives you their best, this act or deed gives you a glimpse of what love is. 

In 2014, I fell in love with a song called "The best of me" by an artist called Swoope on his album Sinema. The song is about all the things we do for love, a beautiful description of what we might call in this situation the labor for love. My favorite part of the song is when Natalie Lauren sings " I can't let it take control of me, I promise to stay, I promise you'll see, I promise to give you the best of me". I'm guessing Swoope wrote this when he was feeling pressure to please his fans. This is a price that everyone in the spotlight must pay, becoming a slave for love and all actions geared to winning the hearts of the masses.

For those who aren't really in the limelight, this pressure manifests in trying to win over those around us. We fight hard to get their attention and hope that they will regard us. We feel like their love will make us whole, because in the first place we believed a lie that we are incomplete.

When we switch the narrative, and realize wholeness comes from us giving our best and giving love in the first place. When we are ourselves and give those around us our best version, we overcome such situations and are free of the debt of love. The reason we always wind up in a form of depression, is because we realise we never gave those around us our best. It haunts us  and weighs heavy on us knowing we could have been better versions, and yet we chose not to be. Love exists in us all and we learn how to express it as we grow. When we are fully grown and have fully gained understanding of who we are, we are able to love others in the best way we can. 

Going through bad relationships or traumatic situations is an opportunity for us to unravel our layers. We can choose to build a wall because someone or something hurt us, or we can learn to love and be better. In the end, our abusers don't rob us of our precious, beautiful inner bits that we must preserve and freely give next time.

The beauty in a woman, is when she is vulnerable and is not afraid to love or be loved. I may not be a master of my emotions yet, however, I know that I am love and when I give others the best of me, I walk away feeling complete. I do not wait for those around me to give me their love, because I know we all have the ability to give love which exists in all of us. Their choice not to give me this love, does not make them incapable of love, but ignorant and lacking in understanding on how to relate with others. We describe such people as damaged. Someday they learn to love when they encounter a stronger version of love, given despite their rebellion and ignorance.

We may choose to resist love, and fight it in every way, but in the end, we all give in to love. Love overcomes all and is powerful enough to cut through anything, even a heart of stone. No one is immune to love and no one can hide from love.

I hope you will be brave enough to give your best and be the best version of yourself. I hope you will be brave enough to love again, be vulnerable enough to give and receive love.