It started just a few minutes after I woke up. If I had woken up later, I would have argued that the commotion woke me up. What commotion? Just my neighbour and his wife shouting, and maybe with some beatings from the man.
It displeases me to know that my neighbour lays his hands on his beautiful wife. I hear him call her “babe”; probably it’s just a facade, or their love is a work in progress. But still, a progressive love story shouldn’t involve violence. With kids in the picture, this love story should have been solid beyond midnight beatings. No, I don’t think it was a mistake because that was the second time I would hear him and his babe shouting in the dead of the night with some beatings attached.
After a long and terrible day, love should be that place you’re always eager to retire to. A place of rest, warmth, and fresh energy to restrategize. It should be a place of succour and happiness. However, for many, it has become a place of abandonment, a house of oppression, rather than a home.
Have you ever felt a sudden rush of energy within you? That kind of energy that makes you feel on top of the world, bold enough to challenge anything. Have you ever hurried to finish your tasks just to see your favourite person after a long day’s work? That’s what love is meant to be. A safe space. A space for vulnerability, compassion, strength, courage, and growth.
How then do we find true love? The better question and solution should be, how do I become true love? If everyone is deliberate enough to develop themselves into a safe space, becoming true love for others is inevitable. Our strengths and weaknesses can complement each other and be just that shield needed against the cruel realities of life that weigh us down.
Be a gentle soul, don’t be wicked. Learn to be empathetic toward people’s feelings and circumstances. Be teachable; you’re not always right. You’re no one’s master; learn to accommodate others, especially those you claim to love. As much as you think you’re condoning others’ excesses, remember that they are condoning yours as well. Learn to address issues through communication and not violence.
Doing all these and working on yourself is a step towards true love and becoming a safe space. Now imagine if everyone did this, walking in love might just make the world a better place.
If my neighbour and his wife can work on themselves, they can grow to become each other’s safe space, and they just might find the true love they need. True love exists. The kind of love that makes you smile sheepishly, the kind that makes you feel like a child again, the kind that makes you eager to return home, the kind that inspires you to be a better person.
And yeah, you and I will have just that kind of love.
Well, it’s been months, and I haven’t heard any midnight noise. Probably they’ve become each other’s true love.
‘How do I become a true love?’
Solid!
The world will become a better place if we all are intentional about this question
Well done!