...the month of love is upon us!
Welcome February and the shortest month of the year!
The first second month of the year can often fly by, as we start becoming accustomed to the new year, and I cannot believe that we are fast approaching the month of March. I have taken a considerable amount of time to choose the focus for this month's blog, and after much thought, I decided to explore the topic of love. The world is still reeling from the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, and alongside other political struggles which are now filling the media with stories, it seems to me that there is an even greater reason for us to embrace love all around us, and to think about what love really means to us in our own lives.
At the start of the month, I saw a picture which read "I am creating lots of room in my life for love" and thought this was a very pertinent message which we could apply to our own daily lives in February and beyond...
At the start of February, I was delighted to be able to visit the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studios and to experience the behind-the-scenes action which creates the magic on screen.
I was reminded of the words spoken by Dumbledore to Harry:
“Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love”
This quote demonstrates the importance of love in our everyday lives. Of course, the quality of love encompasses a whole range of emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection between individuals, to the simplest pleasures of every day life.
An example of this range of meanings of love is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love for food. Take a moment to think about your own lives and what love means to you...
Love for self?
Love for friends
Love for family
Love for partner
Love for religion
Love for food, sport and/or other hobbies
Love for community
Love for country
Love for nation
Love for world?
When we take the time to consider love, we may visualise the circles which love stretches to include. Does your circle of love only extend to certain individuals? Does your circle of love only extend to others, if you feel a certain way yourself? Does your circle of love only extend to yourself on certain occasions?
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions necessarily, however, I think that now is a useful time to reflect upon the quality of love and how you utilise it in your own daily lives. Perhaps try extending your circles of love and see what happens...
If we consider the origins of the word 'love, it is interesting to look back to the history and think about it in the Modern Day. Dating back to the Proto-Indo-European word leubh, meaning "care" or "desire", it later evolved into Latin with the word lubet, which went on to become libet. After the Roman era disappeared, the word spread not to the French language, but Germanic. It then evolved into four forms: lubo, liube, liebe, and then lob, all of which had the modern meaning of love, except the word liube, which went on to be used in a phrase where it was referred to as "joy". This eventually phased into Old English as lufu, and it moved around until it became love. There again, love is complex, not least with its range of meanings, but also in terms of its historical etymology.
Another famous individual who speaks about love is the English playwright, poet and actor William Shakespeare.
Below is his Sonnet 116:
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand’ring bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Sonnet 116 is a poem and is not just a personal appeal but is also a universal definition of love, which the poet defines as being constant and unchangeable in the face of any circumstances. He refers to love as being like the North Star, which, even if we don’t know anything else about it, we know where it is, and that’s all we need in our lives. Even death cannot overcome love, which persists to the end of time.
Love starts out as motionless and distant, remote, independent; the quality then moves to be "less remote, more tangible and earthbound". The final couplet brings a sense of "coming back down to earth". Love steadily becomes more personal and intimate as the poem continues...which one could say is similar to your own experiences of love, as we begin to know and understand its quality over time... Ideal love is maintained as unchanging throughout the sonnet, and Shakespeare concludes in the final couplet that he is either correct in his estimation of love, or else that no man has ever truly loved. He shows love to be all-encompassing...
Mother Teresa once said:
"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put into that action"
Charles Dickens once said:
"A loving heart is the truest wisdom"
These talented individuals both elude to the significance of love, and how love is such an important part of our lives. Without love, how are we united as human beings across the Universe? Love is the quality which brings us together and provides a home for so many human beings, because of the simple fact that they love one another.
If we consider talented individuals from history - think about Dalai Lama, Albert Einstein, Vincent Van Gogh, Jessica Ennis-Hill to name but a few - they all have the quality of love in common. A love for people, knowledge, art, sports..and, above all, for learning.
American television host, author and producer Fred Rogers said: "A love of learning has a lot to do with learning that we are loved". This demonstrates the connection between loving and learning, much as when we watch younger children transfixed by magical experiences. They are overcome by a love for learning and their inquisitive nature means that they stop at nothing to find out and discover as much as they can...
To me, this is what Hogwarts and its designs bring to life. The love of countless individuals dedicating their time and effort into creating the vision of J K Rowling and bringing it to life. The vision of one woman who had an idea about a boy and a magical land whilst waiting for a train in London.
A staggering 588 sets were created for the films...
The original model of Hogwarts took about seven months to create with 40 people working on it at any one time...
The Harry Potter art department contained a whole team of 58 people working full time...
What a stellar example of love and learning experienced by all individuals who were passionate to create this hallmark series which has made Hollywood history. You may not be an avid Harry Potter fan but it is clear that love and learning have been crucial in making this magical world so successful...
"People who love food are always the best people"
Thank you also for all your continued support for the brand instagram account. I have recently been experimenting with different #overnightoats creations and their toppings, as shown by the collage above.
I hope you are looking forward to #ShroveTuesday tomorrow with a splendid variety of sweet and savoury #pancakes with your favourite toppings. If this is something you don't normally celebrate, why not take the time this year to warm up some crêpes or perhaps even whip up a batch of your own scotch pancakes? Please do keep following the foodie account for more yummy #pancakestack inspiration!
Wednesday Wind down With Sitara continues every week 8-10pm on Lymm Radio with a fantastic variety of weekly themes, songs and quotes! Please do message in with your song requests and special mentions as it is a pleasure to include your favourites!
I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to play a range of love songs for the week beginning with Valentine's Day and I hope that you were able to take time for love on that day, in whatever form suited you.
Take the time to tune in and enjoy a variety of different weekly themes, motivational quotes and uplifting music to end your #humpday with positivity and calm.
Tune into the radio show via your smart speaker or via this link...a positive way to start the day! #localradio
I also have a regular feature on BBC Radio Manchester discussing a variety of podcasts on a Friday afternoon - please do listen to my latest episode from Friday:
I conclude Feburary's blog with inspiring words by H. Jackson Brown Jr.:
"Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own"
I hope you are able to think more deeply and carefully about love and what it means to you in your own life during the rest of this month and beyond - wishing you a calm end to February!
Love,
Sitara xxx
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