L-O-V-E

The word love can really freak me out sometimes.

I mean, we use it all the time. Well I know I do. We love chocolate cake, we love ice cream, we love the new kitchen.

We love our friends, we love our family, we love ourselves.

We love that 'one special person'

But how overused is it in that last context? The others I can handle. We overuse it until it loses it's meaning because in those situations, it almost doesn't have a meaning. It doesn't need one because, and especially in the first case, there is no meaning to it. The word gets thrown around easily and noone thinks anything of it.

Then you get situation number two. Again, it doesn't really need to be meant when it's said. It's the word you throw out when you're not really sure how else to sum up everything there is you want to say. Or the way to sign off a thank-you letter to your aunt twice removed. Or maybe just to make that other person feel better about themselves. Or to let them know you care about them, but it's just reinforcing what the already know, so the initial shock of the word, the acting out of love through hugs and willingness to talk and smiles and calling up to hang out doesn't really have it's shine because it doesn't need it. Again, it is almost too overused.

But then there's situation number three. Love. Real, unconditional love. It's here the word freaks me out. When you actually have to mean it. It has so many strong connotations that can be misinterpreted or overanalysed or ignored. And in this case, you can't not mean it. So is it better to just not say it at all? I think the whole idea of 100% sincerity is scary because in this case, you aren't really protected by the meaninglessness of the word.