Saying “I Love You”

“I’ve tried so many times to think of a new way to say it and it’s still I love you.” -Zelda Fitzgerald

What does saying “I love you” to someone really entail? After all, there are so many different versions of love. We love our parents and vice versa. We love our friends and (hopefully) likewise. We love our spouses or partners. Each of those relationships bring different dynamics of love in our lives. And yet one thing remains common amongst all of them; caring about the individuals we love. To me, when I say “I love you” to someone, regardless of whether it’s a friend or a romantic partner, it expresses that I really care about them and want them to be happy. What might dispute the meaning in today’s times is the sheer casualness that some people say those three words with. There are times when I’ve literally known a person for just two or three minutes and they’ll say “love ya” while saying bye. Inevitably, this leads to a dilemma for me as I don’t want to be rude but at the same time, I feel uncomfortable saying “love you too” to someone I just met. So what’s the solution? I would say that if you say “I love you” to anybody, just make sure it’s sincere. Make sure it’s a person you’ve genuinely connected with. It’s not neccessarily about the relationship you have with that person. It could be friend, a family member or a spouse. The important thing is that you feel a connection strong enough with the person. You trust them and care about them and vice versa. I think that’s very crucial because otherwise, saying “I love you” can be misinterpreted on many levels. Some people use it so liberally with aquaintances and at times, even with strangers that to me, it diminishes the value of it. How expressive are you to people around you? Do you bond with someone rather quickly or does it take time? Do you say “I love you” to everyone you know or just a select few? Share your thoughts and experiences by commenting below.