A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

It’s Friday, I’m in love!

Honestly.  I was shocked that nobody has said anything about my headlines this week.  I had this great idea last Sunday about using a Cure song for headlines, but I suppose I was the only one who thought it was a good idea.  Well, before I talk about the picture below, I’ll let Robert Smith and co. give you an earworm for the day.

Now then, where was I?  Oh yes, it’s Friday, although I’m not presently in love.

So where does that leave me?  Should I search high and low for the mythical “ONE”?  Or should I just sit and bide my time and wait for things to happen?  Or maybe a mix of both.

You know, this whole love thing, it can really get blown out of proportion.  Stay with me here, this isn’t going to be a cynical attack on the concept of love.  I think that people may spend so much time either looking for love, or working to maintain their feelings of love towards an individual that they can lose sight of things that they may love but not even realize it.

How often to you think about your family?  For some it’ll be more than others.  I’m sure at some point in your life (at least for the majority of people) they have had a family member love them unconditionally.  Of course things change over time, but those original feelings, can they really go away?  What about those of us with pets?  I know that I love my cat, and I know that as much of a brat as she is, she loves me right back.  Now of course some of you are thinking, “it’s an animal, how can you know if it loves you?”.  Well to you I pose this question, how do you know that anyone or thing loves you?

And that’s the thing with love.  As much as the word gets tossed around, there never is a way to really tell exactly how another person is feeling.  It’s because of that, that I think the concept of being “in love” is such a tricky thing to define.  Songwriters and poets have grasped at the meaning of love for centuries.  Blood has even been spilled all in the name of love.  Yet at no point could any of these people really come up with a set answer.  Of course I don’t have the answers either.  Although I do have a theory.

I thinking the state of being in love with another is more a statement of trust.  It is a state where you give yourself completely over to another without fear or hesitation.  I don’t want to add that you would do this with the hope of having the same feelings returned because to me that seems like it’s putting a condition on the state of being.  To truly and completely achieve the feeling of being in love, you have to surrender yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually to another.  You have to be willing to give up all that is you.  In situations where people are experiencing “true love”, that is when both people have given themselves up completely, without caring if the other truly feels the same way.

I bring this all up not because I’m pining after someone, but because the following picture made me think of just what we would call unconditional love.  To me, this image has captured a moment where no matter what, you know that both people in the picture love each other totally and completely, without any doubts in their mind.

baby

I suppose I’m in a sappy mood today.  Tell me a sappy story about a time where you first felt you were in love with someone.

Comments

13 responses to “It’s Friday, I’m in love!”

  1. Mel Noir Avatar

    Rob, I’ve been paying attention to your headlines, don’t worry! In fact, I’ve loved them, The Cure are probably the best band in the world 🙂

    Since I think you’ll like it, here’s a picture I’ll share with you, of my Robert Smith tattoo: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2586145&id=547678951

    Oh, and to answer your question, it was love at first sight with the Mr, as soon as he saw my Smashing Pumpkins inspired tattoo and showed me that he has one too! 🙂

    Mel Noir

  2. Laurel Avatar
    Laurel

    A moment I was first in love, eh?

    In high school, I knew this guy who had pink hair, pierced nipples, and smoked cigarettes like a chimney stack. I couldn’t stop thinking about him and one afternoon while listening to A Perfect Circle: The Noose, it hit me. I loved him. Still do. Just not in that way anymore.

  3. Lauren Avatar
    Lauren

    I am madly in love with my husband today just like I was the day he stepped out of his green 99 jetta wolfsburg with checkered vans and a tattoo peeking out of his rolled up sleeve. and said in his goofy voice “Hey we have matching shoes!” 🙂

    But, there is absolutely no words to describe how much I love my kids. You have nine months to develop the love, the wondering, its a big mystery what it will be like once they are actually here. Then, in an instant, the word Complete takes on a whole new meaning when you see their face for the first time.

  4. Holly Avatar
    Holly

    The first moment I really felt like I was in love and I had something strong going on was when my boyfriend and I were sitting in A&E, after I’d suffered somewhat of a breakdown. He stood, and still stands, by me when I was at my weakest and most unloveable. He saved my life and I can’t imagine a stronger bond than that.

  5. Holly Avatar
    Holly

    Oh a slightly less depressive note, that lovely lady has an awesome post-baby body!

  6. bri Avatar
    bri

    this picture is lovely.

    but seriously rob, thanks for the AMAZING posts.

  7. Joli Marie Avatar

    Rob,
    I’ve had the lyrics stuck in my head all week thanks to your lovely Modblog updates 🙂

    Ironically enough (“tuesday, wednesday heart attack”) my grandpa had a heart attack on tuesday, which was his third in a year. He had surgery and came home yesterday, but I’m going to tell you how much i love him. He’s the father of my step-father and has been in my life since i was about two years old. Typical grandpa, spoiling us with $5 & $2 bills when we come to visit.

    He’s probably one of the funniest person I have ever met. When we cook and he wants the more of what he’s had, he’ll try to trick you into not eating them. He says something along the lines of, “mashed potatoes? Those are no good for ya.”

    A few years ago, he lost all of his teeth, cause like me, he loves his sweets. I searched online for some funny dentures I could find to give him as a christmas present & hit the jackpot: WHITE-CHOCOLATE DENTURES!! Completely edible and incredibly real opening. He’s never eaten them because he tells me one day when he loses his real dentures (you know how silly old people are, forgetting where they put everything) he’s going to wear his candy dentures and eat them.

    He’s been struggling with cancer for about two years now in his liver, lungs and heart and lost his wife a few months ago to a sudden heart attack. But still continues to wear cologne and comb (whats left of his fuzzy hair) when he going in for his chemo treatments, because “the ladies love it.”

  8. Jen Avatar

    I just thought you were insane and didn’t want to bring attention to the fact that you were using Cure songs for headlines. 🙂

  9. Rob Avatar

    @Jen: You know how hard it was trying to write stories and find pictures that could be somewhat tied to the song line? Next time I try something like that I’ll plan ahead.

  10. chokehold Avatar

    Well, I wouldn’t say “you know that no matter what the two people in this picture love each other”, because well you know what they say about assumptions. I know quite a few mother’s that hate their children.

  11. Lauren Avatar
    Lauren

    I highly doubt the mother hates her child by the way she is cradling him/her on her chest and taking a photo with him/her, then posted it on the internet.

  12. emily Avatar
    emily

    I met my now boyfriend for drinks at a local biergarten (with an excellent beer selection, by the way) before our first date, and about halfway into the first beer, i knew that he was the one for me. Now, i didn’t feel fully in love with him at that time, but I knew that’s where it was going. Still going strong <3

  13. Krys Avatar
    Krys

    I fell in love September 10th 2011. I got to hear my unborn(yet) child’s heart beat for the first time. The childs father and my mother heard it as well. And I have never felt so loved or unconditional love for anything or anyone until that moment.

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