What is love?

It's one of those questions, we know takes a little time to answer, but we think we can define what love is...but can we?

According to Socrates and Plato there are 4 types of love;

Eros version 1- Which is lustful and full of desire=sex

Eros version 2- Which is the romantic kind of love

Philia- The love for friends

Agape-The love for humanity; for each other

The love I'm referring to is Eros 2, romantic love. Today in my philosophy of success class, we discussed the relationship of love and success, and is success achieved when you find love? Over the past week we were given sticky notes and assigned to ask five people in our lives to write their own definition of love. When in class we took each definition and taped them to the wall. It was interesting to compare the definitions, and see how different each answer was. All the while still speaking the truth of love.

Some definitions were profound and poetic, others were short and simple, and naturally, there were some that spoke of the hardships and heartbreak that come with love. I think when we are trying to explain what love is ( in a positive manner) the words "unconditional," and "everlasting" seem to pop up quite frequently. Those words are romanticized and used to express the intensity of devotion. But I fear, we have to be careful of what words we use to teach children of what love is. It's unfortunate to say, but I look at cases of young females who are in abusive relationships but cannot turn away because of how we use these romanticized adjectives.

I am not trying to make it piss pour over "love." I very much still believe in a love that can last a lifetime. But what my professor, Wendy explained to us, that if we were all asked to draw a vase, that all of our vases would look different. But they would all be recognizably a vase.

Whether it be an intense chemical reaction, a mutual agreement, or butterflies in your stomach, I think love is when you find someone who has the same definition or a complimenting definition to that of your own.

Examples of Definitions

"To care about a person, more than you care about yourself."

"The perfect union of two souls."

"Unconditional mutual acceptance."

"When your mate let's you eat the last bite."

"A golden wedding anniversary."

"A facade; to be naive."

"Blinded by another."

"To willingly compromise for another person."

And my personal favourite..."The home you find in someone."

And the Summer Begins....

First allow me to apologize for slacking in the blogging department. I got a little swept away with school this past month and didn't have much time or energy to try and think of positive anecdotes or stories to write. lol
But as of tomorrow, my first year of Humber PR will be completed, I move to Kensington this Saturday and then my summer of love, music, and soul can begin!
Mmmmm summer! There are so many beautiful things about that season that I enjoy. Do not be fooled though, I was not always a fan of summer. I mean, I don't think I could live in a country where it is essentially summer all year long. I appreciate summer because it is part of the four seasons that us Canadians are blessed to have and experience.

Things I love About Summer:

flowy dresses
birkenstocks
golden sun-kissed skin
cottaging/camping
drum circles and impromptu outdoor dance parties/jam sessions
spiced rum
ice cream!
long summer hours of sun
Bonnaroo :)
summer flings
skinny dipping
smores'
orchard blossoms
local fruit and veggie stands back home
wine tastings at local wineries
and the list goes on......

I know I should enjoy the season at hand, but when its this close, I mean, you can smell summer is just around the corner....you can't help but pull out your summer clothes and sandals, sangria pitchers and sun tan lotion. I can't wait to experience a summer downtown in the heart of Toronto. Magic....absolute magic :)

The Sounds of the English Language

Everyone has a word or words that just make then cringe. So much so, that they find it even hard to utter the word out loud.
I've gone through a few stages, with a few certain words....but I'd love to hear yours too! So we can bask in the pure disgust of the English language together :)

Words Tess Does Not Feel Comfortable Hearing/Saying:

Gnurble- the fatty part of the ham
Dink- Ugh...i HATE this word the most! So prepubescent and awkward.
Booby- again, for the same reason.
Moist- Now, I'm not disgusted with this word, but I just think it sounds funny. But it is fun to say!
Chagrin ( pronounced "sh")-This word was recently brought to my attention in class. I had no idea how to spell it or what it meant. But I was determined to use it in a sentence this week...To her chagrin, the party had ended as she arrived." :)

Words Tess Really Enjoys Hearing/Saying:

Giggle- I like to use it as much as possible. It's just fun and cute and instantly lights up any room.
Poop- I dunno why...but I'm chuckling right now just typing it.
Love- For the obvious reasons...the meaning, and all that falls into the word.
Hannah-Although, more of a name rather than a word. But you can spell it both frontwards and backwards!
Onomatopoeia-It just sounds funny :) e.g-"sizzle"-The word sounds like sound it makes!

I've told you mine, now tell me yours :)