We’ve all been there. At a house party with our friends, at work with some of the world’s best colleagues, or at a family gathering with family and you couldn’t shake the feeling of loneliness or sadness. It creeps in like the entity from It Follows, and you wonder, “What’s wrong with me? Am I cursed? Could the person stashing away my calabash break it already?”
And while it typically fades away on its own, it leaves you questioning your worth, value, and if anyone truly loves you – including your own damn self. But what we tend to forget is that love comes in so many forms.
It comes in the little rays of sunshine that hit you in that cold, cold morning run, the warm smile the guard at your workplace offers you every morning (though you brush it off as creepy), and just the little notes your Pinterest algorithm finds for you every single day.
It’s all about perspective. And to help you see that you’re so deeply loved and cared for by the universe, here are some of the most unexpected sources of love in your life. Trust me, it’ll help you smile a little more often and appreciate the “littles” in your life.
When The Security Guard Helps You Carry Your Shopping Bags To Your Car
Shopping is a love language in itself. It’s therapeutic, rewarding, and just a big “fuck you, I Have Money” to every doubting Thomas in your life who thought you could never afford a whole tub of ice cream (hello, Christie from the preschool playground).
But when you’re done impressing yourself and your imaginary haters, and you have to push two trolleys full of ‘I can afford it’ items, shopping suddenly stops being a therapy session and becomes a chore.
You push, whine, and wonder if all these items are necessary. Then, like your guardian angel finally stopped laughing at you and worked their magic, a generous, good-looking stranger says, “hey miss, I got you.”
He pushes both trolleys for you, gets them to your car, and even helps you load each shopping bag into your vehicle. Hell, he might even offer to ride home with you and help you unload them if you ask. That’s love in the form of humanity and good customer service, babe!
When Your Baby Gives You A Random Hug
Back in 2021, I was struggling with depression. I was living with my mother, just fresh into the ‘being dumpedville’ and out of a job. It was one of the most trying moments of my life. And so, like anyone else, I struggled with my self-worth and could cry for days.
My nephew, God bless his little soul, saw this happening and would come to hug me and sit next to me to comfort me as I wept like a baby on steroids. I might not be what I was looking for at the time, but those little hugs made me feel seen and loved. And honestly, I’ll never forget it! Thanks, Jesse.
When You’re At The Club And Some Happy-Go-Lucky Babe Warns You About The Toilet Situation
I dare you to find an act more unexpectedly tender than when a perfect stranger (who doesn’t owe you anything, especially after sizing her up as she staggered out of the washroom) warns you that there’s no toilet paper left in there or that some girl just projectile vomited on the floor.
Because if the roles were reversed, you might not have said anything.
“All outta TP” isn’t your typical show-affection connotation, but it’s a gesture of caretaking and one of the most brushed-off sources of love in anyone’s life.
When Your BFF Sends You Flowers Just Because
My BFF loooves flowers. It’s a love language of hers. But as a generous gift giver to many of her friends, she’s never received any flowers from anyone.
Not even the boyfriend we thought would take a hint from the many times we’ve talked about how flowers warm your heart and give you smiles for the day.
So, for good measure and appreciation for the stupidity she has put up with from me, I sent her a bouquet. And to say the girl cried is an understatement. It was an act of pure love, and she felt it! So do the same for yours. You’ll brighten their day!
When Your Bae Keeps The Kids Away And Lets You Enjoy Your Sleep (Even If It’s An Extra 15 Minutes)
Do I really need to get into this one? It’s one of the simplest things your partner can do and land himself a weekend off with the boys or the latest PlayStation set. Plus, it makes you feel loved, valued, and supported by them, period!
When Your Google Assistant Or Network Provider Remembers Your Birthday And Sings A Tune For You
As a grown-up with only three close friends, I’ve realized people don’t really care for your birthday. It’s up to you to remind them sometimes, which is sad. But before you start crying, ‘why me, Lord’ remember, Google Assistant is here for you. The little miss (despite her Switzerland approach to the Alexa and Siri beef) remembers your birthday like clockwork.
And unlike your people, she can even sing for you happy birthday all day long if you want. Yes, it’s sad, but at least you’ve got something. Some have nothing at all. Not even Google Assistant. So, learn to appreciate the small and almost insignificant sources of love in your life!
When You Read A Post That Describes Your Life In A Nutshell (And You Always Thought You’re The Only Weirdo)
You know this one. You’re scrolling through the web, skipping through the devastating news articles, and then boom! You land on a post that reads like a page from your life. You stop, go fetch a coffee and come ready to read that line again. What is this? Is it possible? Am I in a parallel universe type of scenario?
The writer is describing feelings and experiences that, up until now, you’d thought had only ever occurred to you. Maybe it’s something small like how they react to certain trigger words or something seismic like the writer describing their feelings of despair and loss as they navigated through a certain but very familiar experience.
Each moment has the power to stop you in your tracks and show you that you’re never alone. In its own weird way, it gives you assurance, which is a form of love. Kinship love!
