Celebrate Love

Love is meant to be celebrated! 

I think I still have the first paper folded rose he took a risk and threw from the window of his classroom down to me. 

My friends whisphered in crazy frenized anticipation, with a hint of jealousy. And begged me to go get it. 

 I asked my teacher if I could be excused from class to go to the  bathroom and instead I ran to the place where the rose fell.

I looked up and he smiled out the window as he mouthed, "Happy Valentines Day" 

I died on the inside. My heart raced beyond what it was capable of doing as I smile back and then raced back to class.

The guy I like actually liked me back!! Ekkkk!!! 

I walked back into class completely dazed with love, holding the rosé by my side.

He got me. He had completely won me over. 

My friends silently shrieked while the rest of the class continued on the topic of geography. 

"Oh my gosh!!! What did he give you?? What was that that fell from window?? He must really like you!!! Oh my goodness you guys are so going to get married......." 

The Valentines Day a lifetime ago, that still makes me smile.

Young love is so fun! The romance. The giddy excitement, butterflies in your tummy kind of love. 

The kind of love where its worth being vulnerable. 

Then there is the forever love. 

Their romance storey has lasted over 64yrs, and everyday they still smile at each other as though it were the first time they met.

My nan, Enid, would watch my Pa walk past her house every day as he travelled to work. 

"I will marry that man one day" she would say to her sister and they giggled together and talked about how handsome he looked in his suit.

And that's exactly what she did. 

In 1948 she said "I do" to Colin and 64yrs on, though their bodies are slowing down and memories are deteriorating and becoming a distant haze,  they still say "I love you darling" everyday,and he still calls her "the most beautiful woman" and she "the most handsome man." 

They still hold each others hands and and kiss each other on their wrinkled aged lips. And he continues to care for her. Till death do them part. 

The kind of love worth celebrating.

Some people are scared to love. They hold back that which they were created to do and feel for themselves. Some put walls up and live life never experiencing the healing that true love can bring because  they are too scared of being wounded internally or left with a broken heart.

But, like the quote I read the other day, 

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

So this Valentines Day why not take a risk. Tell that person how you feel.

Oh well if its not how you planned their response! To love is to be vulnerable!

Better than living with regret! And you never know, it just may turn into a romance storey that lasts a lifetime. 

Soooo happy Valentines Day to all the lovebirds... Love is meant to be celebrated...

love riv x 

You gotta start somewhere....

x the fam bam x

x via pinterest x

"You got to start somewhere!" I heard a teacher say once.

Then after he said it, I felt like I was hearing it everywhere.
The cafe lady as she cleaned up the plate that had been upheaved, covering the floor with spaghetti, my mum as she tided up my bedroom, my coach as I told him in frustration, "Why cant I hit that shot?!"

"Starting somewhere" is never easy. 
Especially when you are full of dreams and passionate inspiration.

If you are anything like me, you want it to be now. Show me the end the result already!
We get frustrated in our own minds. Lose patience. Give up 50 million times before we have even begun.
We blame time. We blame our kids. We blame our lack of creativity and slowly we lose the vision, that was clearly in sight yesterday, because we saw someone do a better job and thought we weren't good enough.
So, we tell ourselves, may as well walk away now before we embarrass ourselves.

Whoa.

"Starting somewhere" is never easy.
Like where exactly should I start?

Just simply start.
But where?

Maybe its taking 5 minutes and pulling out everything from your makeup drawer and throwing out the stuff that you don't use anymore. Sure your whole house is a mess, but you gotta start somewhere.  

Maybe its applying for that job you have persuaded yourself you are not good enough for. Ok so that will take an hour of your day. Get online, type in the job profile, and apply. Gotta start somewhere. There really is nothing to lose.

Maybe its doing one more bicep rep at the gym. Your end goal is to have more defined arms. Well that will take 5 more minutes of your day. Lets do this!

Isn't it amazing how we often persuade ourselves out of the purpose, the vision for which we were born.
We believe we are not capable. Or accomplished enough. Riddled with self doubt and insecurities. We can also get lazy and mediocre.

We live this way in our busy minds and don't even realise.

So, today, I write my first personal blog. I'm going to start somewhere. 

I hope that wherever you are, you silence the voice of self doubt and justifable excuses in your mind. That you remind yourself of your dream and start to listen to that stirring in your heart that keeps you alive and sometimes awake at night, and remind yourself that you can start somewhere today too.

love riv x