I used to think that love was about finding someone who liked the opposite color gummy worm that you liked, so that you complimented each other perfectly.
Then I got a little older and decided love was about caring for someone enough to eat the side you don’t prefer so that the person you love can have their favorite.
But now I’m realizing that love is less about what gummy worm you or they prefer and more about appreciating that we live in a world with gummy worms in the first place.
There will be days that are total red gummy worms: spending time laughing and loving and dancing and growing. And then, there will be days that are total yellow gummy words: misunderstandings, frustrations, disappointments.
So maybe there’s a more holistic way to look at this gummy worm love—to recognize that sometimes it’s a swirling mix of the best things you could possibly dream up, and that sometimes it’s complicated and painful and a total leap of faith to place your trust in a fellow imperfect and sometimes volatile human’s hands.
It is a gift to see how loud and gentle and messy and joyful dance together… to understand that wholesome love is both red and yellow… to believe that this kind of love is worth it.
Happy Valentine’s Day from your friends at The Smile Project.
May we be love.
Love always,
Liz
