All You Need is Love

Hola, amigos!

I went to the movies last night with a couple of "friends" (just kidding, guys) and saw a fantastic film called Wish I Was Here. It stars Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin, and Zach Braff. And is also directed and written by Braff. It had all the feels. It was happy, sad, hysterical, tragic. I LOVED IT. So I highly recommend it. But the point is that this movie as well as one other significant factor is my inspiration for today's blog post. 

The other significant factor inspiring today's post is this: today is the one year anniversary of my grandfather's death. It has been a very rough year for my family, as you could have guessed. But we have all made it a year and on this day today, August 5, 2014, we remember him with fondness and happy hearts.

For today's post, I just want to say some really corny and cheesy things about life and love and all that jazz, and hope that you take it all in and live and breathe it everyday.

So here are some cliche tips on learning to love and live with an open heart and open mind (in no particular order):

- Find yourself. Discovering who you truly are is probably the biggest part of learning to love others and enjoy life. There are a million and one ways to do this. I will discuss these further on. But for now - think about who you are, what your purpose is, etc. This is some real deep stuff, so you should mentally prepare yourself first before delving into any of it. Try settling down with a cup of tea (or a glass of water if tea isn't your thing - but something soothing and healthy), and just sit in silence and think.

- Love yourself. Once you've figured out who you are, or even if you never figure out who you are - learn to love yourself just the way you are. You were created this way for a reason. You may never figure out what that reason is, but you've got to tell yourself that there is a reason and that you will probably have to search for it the rest of your life. That being said, you should use every ounce of your being to first learn to love yourself, before you can love life or love others.

- See the world. This may go hand-in-hand with your "finding yourself" adventure. If you don't have the time or the money, look at the next tip! But if you find yourself with the opportunity to travel, DO IT NOW! You only live once; you got to get out there and SEE things. And in doing so, you open your mind to new ideas and new cultures, and new people. Traveling the world, or the country, or the state, or even your own city can show you a multitude of amazing things that are out there in the world. Let the world take your breath away; have fun, enjoy it, be free.

- Escape through books or movies. Reading or watching something heartfelt and thoughtful can both uplift you and bring you down. But when you think about it, if it's a really good book or a really good movie, it will do both. So if you can't afford to travel right now - grab a book and get readin'. Find something interesting and well-written, and most of all - enjoy it. Your love for life and love and yourself and others will grow with your love for books and movies.

- Visit family and friends often. This ties in with my story about my grandfather. He lived down on Long Island with most of my dad's side of the family, while we live up here in Albany. It's a 4-hour trip and it was a pain in the neck to get down there from time to time. We rarely went when I grew old enough to get a job and start working. And to be honest, I completely regret the fact that I did not make an effort to go down there on my own when I could finally drive. I could have seen my family more often and I didn't. And now my grandfather is gone, and my family is a wreck. So this is my advice to you - go see your family more. Even if you live thousands of miles away, visit them. And if you can't do that: call them, e-mail them. Do whatever it takes to stay close with them. I would give anything to go back and time and be told this advice and just do it.

- Show some love. Tell someone you love them - someone you actually love. Be nice to strangers, do good deeds for others. There are so many things you can do to show and share the love. When you show others the example, you feel it deep down in your heart and in your soul. You get what you give. And love is, in my opinion, the greatest gift you could ever give or receive. Just like the Beatles once sang - "All you need is love. Love is all you need."




To my grandfather, I miss you everyday and I wish I could have been there for you more - especially towards the end. I'm sorry. But I think of and pray for you often. And I hope you hear my prayers.

Love you, Da. Hope you're partying it up up in Heaven. I won't be seeing you soon, but I'll be seeing ya.

Cheers.

xoxo, Clare