Love is....

These past few days, I found myself questioning what the true nature of love is. Growing up, I had all these dreams of being in love, of finding that one person who was meant just for me, of meeting him and knowing at once that this was my soul mate, that there would be a perfect understanding between us; an instant connection which would last through this and all lives to come. Of course, I went through all of that. Don't we all?

But today, watching my parents together, after forty-eight years of marriage, I'm beginning to realise what love actually is.

It is my father coaxing my mother to eat fruits, patiently sitting with her and giving her one slice at a time.

It's my mother, from her bed, instructing the maid to use less oil while cooking.

It's my father, staying home by mother's side so that she isn't lonely.

It's my mother, walking with slow steps to sit by him while he reads the newspaper.

It's my father, waking up at night as soon as she begins to cough.

It's my mother, smiling at him through all her pain.
It's both of them, sitting side by side on the bed, holding hands.

If I ever find love, that's what I want.

"Attention is the most basic form of love; through it we bless and are blessed." - John Tarrant