What is love?

For some reason I can find the words I want to write today, so this may be a bit garbled and may not quite get my message across, but it's the best I can manage :-/

I never really expected a blog to be inspired by Ricky Gervais, in fact I never actually expected to watch his current tv series Derek. The pilot made it seem to be very patronising and absent of humour but last nights episode has definitely changed that for me

What is love? Love isn't a bunch of a flowers and a card on one day of the year. Buying these things on a pre determined day just for appearances is not love

A friend of mine said it right when telling me that he wouldn't buy flowers today as his wife wouldn't appreciate it, he'll buy them when he wants to show his love for her, at a time that suits him, at a time that's right for her

Love is not just something you have for family, not just for friends, but it should be for everyone. I've spoken before about jobs that I respect, difficult and challenging jobs, and the people that do them. But a job I think is forgotten is that of the the hospice carers and retirement home workers. This is not to belittle the work of nurses and doctors, but many people will pass through a hospital. No one passes through a hospice or a retirement home

Whereas I think there are a lot of dangerous jobs I could do, hard jobs, I know that I could never do the work that people do in these places. To allow people to keep their dignity, their pride, to enjoy the days, weeks or years they have left and to know that when their pain and suffering end everyone else's begins, but to not let that effect your care for others, to keep smiling and keep going

The influence from Derek was the story of the elderly lady who's daughter obviously visited her sporadically, not caring about her well being or her life, but only for her wedding ring, the only possession of monetary value. This was also all she cared about when she died, that no one had stolen what was 'hers'. This wasn't love, this was selfish greed

I suppose the message, is that of course it's lovely to buy presents on valentines day, it's lovely to receive them as well, but don't let that be the only day that you show your love and appreciation for those around you.

We don't know how long anyone has left, our futures are not written, we will all experience death, but we need to make sure we experience life!





Bye bye for now