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There Is Only Love

I absolutely love listening to Oprah's weekly podcast called "Super Soul." I usually listen to it while I am at work or while I am getting ready in the morning. It is so inspirational, and she interviews the most interesting people! I was recently listening to her episode featuring Maya Angelou who is a civil rights activist and author of the famous book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. My favorite thing that Angelou said was that "there is only love." If you really ponder about it, as I have, it becomes a very profound statement.

Love really is the thing that we all seek deep down on the inside, and I am not talking about romantic love. In the Greek language, there are four kinds of love: Eros (romantic love), Philia (love in a friendship), Storge (familial love), and Agape (selfless or Christlike love). Each one of us needs a little bit of each of the "four loves" to feel completely cherished. It is so important to unselfishly give people each kind of love. A romantic relationship cannot flourish on just Eros and a family needs more than just Storge to be successful. When we can nurture and recognize each of the kinds of love in our own lives, especially Christlike love, life takes on a different paradigm and the most important things come into focus. 

Loving people also involves loving ourselves. I think that we cannot give our love to other people if we first do not love ourselves. Loving ourselves does NOT mean that we do not see flaws or areas for improvement in our lives, it actually means embracing those shortcomings and working on them wholeheartedly. When we embrace ourselves, our love towards others will become genuine. Loving ourselves is not selfish or conceded, it is needed for true love and joy. 

Remember this day, and all the other days of the year, that there is only love. 



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