A while ago, I saw a video on TikTok saying that we should “be in love more often.” That the term ‘in love’ isn’t just for romance. When I first saw this, I thought it was stupidly smart. You may be thinking, “Stupidly smart? Really? What does that even mean?” Well, when you first hear the idea, it’s kind of stupid, but if you really think about it, it’s kind of smart. It’s similar to the “delusional mindset” and “Lucky Girl syndrome” trends that have been popular on TikTok recently. Sometimes life is really that simple, or at least the way you approach it can be. 

Since hearing this, I started enjoying moments that I love more consciously. I started being “in love” with them. For example, February sixth was the first day in about a month that I was able to go home during my free period. On my way home at one o’clock in the afternoon, windows rolled down, and music semi-blasting, I realized that this was the first day in two weeks that the sun was shining, there were clear skies, and the temperature was above fifty degrees. Naturally, this realization added some joy to my day. When I focused on it longer than just a passing thought, I decided that not only did I love the moment, but I was in love with it as well. I truly sat in the moment and it made me smile bigger than I had been smiling before. It made me turn up my music a bit louder and roll down the windows a bit more. Because what a beautiful moment to fall in love with. 

They don’t have to be realizations like this. It could be smaller moments of time, like being in love with putting your favorite earrings on in the morning, or bigger moments, like being in love with getting an award for something you enjoy. You could be in love with a hobby or even your emotional support water bottle. 

The point of being in love more often isn’t to truly be in love with something; it’s simply a more stupidly smart way of saying that you should appreciate things. To look for the joy during your happiest moments, your saddest moments, and every moment in between.