—IS YOUR BED MADE, IS YOUR SWEATER ON?

…A few months back my son went to a Barter Fair with a bunch of free-spirited, mostly young(ish) people.  The idea is to bring something to barter for something else.

My son’s barter item was jokes.  He ended up doing fairly well.  Along the way, he took a notebook with him and asked everyone he came into contact with to write down what they thought love was.  At the end of the fair, the notebook was filled with over 160 entries.

Some of them were what you’d expect, but then some of them were unexpected.

Here are a few of my favorites:

“I guess love is when two people don’t let each other down.” Jonas

“Love is what we’ll miss when we move on from this life.  It will be around us, instead of inside of us, and our fondness for it will disappear when it’s all we know.”

“Love is strange, and it brings strangers together.”

“Love is infinity.  Love is everything.  You are love and you are everything.” Abby

“Love is freedom to be yourself.”

“Love is the verb that moves your heart.”

“Love is selfless.”

“Love is a beautiful disaster.”

“Love is a diary that you are willing to share.”

“Love is exactly what you are, exponentially combined with all others.”

“To give.  And give.  And give again.”

“Love is the key to our survival.”

“Love is something you feel in every atom of your body.”

“You are the love you give.  You are the love you receive.”  S

“Love is not always having to say it.”  Reese

“Love is complicated and simple and fun and conflicted.  Love is everything in between.”

“Love is true happiness with one’s self and with others.”

“Love is a peck on the forehead and a good meal.” Q

“Love is all those I surround myself with.”  Kitty

“Love is the knowledge of reaching a destination while following the journey whole-heartedly.” Robert

“Love feels like home.”

“Love is the opposite of entropy.”

“Love is giving everything up in life for someone.”

“Love is complete acceptance.  It’s ‘I love you, even in your worse mess.’  I love you because I love you because I love you.”  Mac

“Love is fighting for something you know you shouldn’t, but you fight for it because it makes you happy.”  T

“Love is true attention and empathy.”

“Love is caring about someone else’s life as much as your own.”

“Love is given freely without expecting it to be returned.”  Terri

“Love is transparency and trust.”

“Love is the unconditional giving of your care, time and energy.”

“My definition of love is making sure everyone stays laughing.” Devin

“Love is unity.”

“Love is not worth writing down.”

“Love is an endless connection that only deepens with time.”

“Love is caring for someone and not wanting anything in return.”

“Love is the answer.” Jake

“Love is both the meaning and mission of life.” Danny

“Love is trusting someone and treating people the way you want to be treated.”

“Love is the best drug on earth.  It’s the reason I sing.”

“Love is you.”