Love is the Ultimate Gift
By Joey Layton
Love is the ultimate gift of life. A feeling of comfort, security, and elation that you never want to lose. It’s an emotion that gets you through the darkest chapters and a sensation you cherish so dearly when you are at your happiest.
I’m forever blessed that I’ve been surrounded by love my entire life. Although there were times that I wanted to quit, I never went to bed feeling lonely or unwanted. I also had someone looking over my shoulder even if a part of me felt abandoned. It was during those darkest days that the feeling of love triumphed over my negative thoughts and behaviour. Hearing the words, “I love you”, was the reassurance and burst of energy that got me through the most difficult and painful days.
Love can also be abused as a tool to torment and demoralize others. How often do you hear of people cheating on their partners in relationships or a parent abandoning their child who they brought into the world? The devastating affect on the victims is crushing and leaves an empty hole in their lives, sometimes unanswered until the very end. People who manipulate others through love are cruel, spiteful, and loathsome individuals – the very worst of mankind.
I struggled to balance the intensity of love whenever I’ve been in a relationship. Love is a complex range of emotions. I sometimes look back at my past relationships and wonder if my feelings were ever reciprocated. However, I know for a fact their affections towards me were never as deep as what I had for them because I was never the one who quit on the relationship. Sure, I hold my hands up and admit that I wasn’t the perfect boyfriend but I always was loyal, respectful, and never hid my feelings when they got the better of me. I think one of my critical mistakes was riding the wave of emotions that love causes and not making sensible decisions to heal the wound of our disagreements.
Love is also a passion that determines how far you want to go in life. It’s what separates successful people from those who find excuses at every opportunity. I started my blog because I always wanted to have my own personal website. It wasn’t until I published my work that I developed a business mindset. A fuel to propel my life to the next level. If you don’t love what you do then you won’t achieve anything. Therefore, stop comparing your life to someone’s highlight reel and do what makes you happy. Life is too short to not do what you love.
Last but not least (and without doubt the hardest) is losing the people who loved you the most. I miss their warm, tender, and caring endearments towards me. I will cherish our beautiful memories until my last breath. Real love is ubiquitous and won’t ever fade away. It keeps me motivated during my hardest days. There’s an old saying – “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”. A reminder that even as I grow older, I can appreciate knowing that I experienced the true meaning of being in love, and loved by others.
Joey has a helping heart and the passion to make his dreams a reality. He looks to give a voice to young men that society has passed over, or ignored completely. With the courage to he honest about men’s mental health, and the strength to share his own struggles, Joey gives a positive example of what it can mean to be a man. Click on the image below to check out his inspiring website and blog!