Kylee's Dictionary: Falling in Love

“I fell in love with you the way you fall asleep; slowly, and then all at once.” John Green could not have said a more true statement about love. We see something that we might like or a person we could see ourselves falling in love with. We look at falling in love like a giant, glimmering lake. We dip our toe in to see if we would enjoy what it has to offer. When we realize that the water is warm, we jump right in, unafraid of what problems could lay ahead. Life should be about falling in love. Not only with people, but also with life and the many things it has to offer.

I wonder if love is feeling like a little girl getting her first doll; the joy and sparkle in her eyes as she inspects every inch of it. She loves that thing more than life itself and takes it everywhere. Or, maybe, it’s the feeling you get after a great performance. You can’t stop smiling, you’re excited, and you feel good. Then, they give you the trophy as the final reassurance that your performance was the best that day. Love should also be a rush, the kind you get after a good workout – you’re satisfied and exhilarated. It could be like meeting a new person. You watch them and hold your head high, careful to say and do the right things for a good first impression. You feel that cautiousness with falling in love because it is a fragile thing.

In the book Lucky by Jackie Collins, she states, “falling in love is like getting hit by a truck and yet not being mortally wounded…It is also not being able to remove the smile from your face, loving life with a mad passionate intensity, and feeling ten years younger. Love does not appear with any warning signs. You fall into it as if pushed from a high diving board. No time to think about what's happening. It's inevitable. An event you can't control. A crazy, heart-stopping, roller-coaster ride that just has to take its course.” In my short, seventeen years, this is what I’ve felt – sometimes with boys – but mostly all of the beautiful things and ideas in life.

During my teenage years, boys have come and gone and will continue to do so. Yet, I still think I fall madly in love with a different boy every time. This boy will consume all of my thoughts, until the next one comes along. The best part about falling in love with someone new is having him appear in my life out of nowhere and I’m excited about him everyday. I get pushed off of that diving board all the time and end up spending a short amount of time on cloud nine. Like Jackie Collins said, it’s my love rollercoaster and I “just have to let it take its course.”

My parents have been married for nineteen years now. Growing up, I don’t remember them acting silly and being lovey-dovey. Now that I’m older, I see them falling in love every day. They started off with very different personalities and passions. As time has passed, they have grown together. I can see them falling in love with each other everyday. They find something new to love all the time. I think that is a beautiful thing about falling in love. Tom Hiddleston says, ”It’s about the fact that the whole world, the whole universe just looks so much more beautiful! All of a sudden everything looks different and your heart will just start smiling. That’s what love is all about…” I see my parents smiling and working together to show me what falling in love really is. They didn’t just fall in love, get married and then struggle for the rest of their marriage. My mom and dad continue falling in love everyday to make their marriage better.

Not only should we fall in love with people, but also with the things that life can offer us. A quote with an unknown author said, “I fall in love with people’s passion. The way their eyes light up when they talk about the thing they love…” Life is all about falling in love with life. Our lives are based on our passions and doing the things we love. If you don’t look forward to doing something everyday, your life is going to waste. I love watching people fall in love with what they do. I see my twelve-year-old brother play soccer every single day, regardless of the weather or his schedule. Nothing makes him happier than running around with his team, dribbling and passing the ball. He literally lights up when he’s playing soccer. He said it simply, “soccer is the best sport. I love it because I love my team. I love to score and it makes me feel good no matter what.”

I have fallen in love with people’s passions. The best thing in the world is seeing someone with a genuine smile on his face. If going to work everyday, playing lacrosse, cooking in the kitchen, or watching TV makes someone happy, then I love it. In a sense, I fall in love with people who are falling in love. Those things could be the most boring activities in the world to someone else, but if it makes another person happy, we should boost them up and help them continue falling in love with those passions.

Personally, I adore taking pictures. I’m not the world’s best photographer and I don’t know everything there is to know about a camera, editing and getting the right shot. I do know that having a camera in my hands and hearing the subtle click of the camera as I capture an image feels incredible. I am literally freezing a moment in time. I will have that moment forever. Like anything, falling in love with pictures took time. It has been a slow progression but being on Yearbook this year has helped me realize that I love taking pictures. I love it because I can freeze people doing what they love. Not only can I hold on to that image, but they also get the lasting memory of that moment and they can go back to that time and feelings.

Love is simply incredible happiness and wishing for someone else’s happiness to be greater than your own. As a seventeen-year-old, I think that’s what falling in love feels like. Falling in love is sporadic but forever and constant. It’s silly and funny but honest and sincere. It’s truthful and trustworthy. Love makes mistakes. To be loved is great, but to be loved in return is the greatest thing life can offer. Love is a leap of faith, stepping into new realms of the world. Love feels like your first concert, your first day of school, driving fast, finding new music, laughing, a good hair day, and learning from your mistakes, learning something new or accomplishing a goal. The feeling that those things give you… I think that’s how you should feel when you’re in love and loving life.

So, next time you think you’re falling in love, don’t be afraid to go slow and then fall in deep all at once.  Don’t be afraid to jump in to the water. Like Shaun Rosenberg says, “Learn to love the things that are going good in your life. Learn to love your friends, your family, and your passions.” Life will only get easier once we realize that all we have to do is fall in love.

xoxo 

kylee jean