Grey’s Anatomy fans will think I’m ripping this post from the finale, in which Meredith is urging everyone to tell the people you love that you love them before it’s too late. Although I loved the finale, and it’s a great point, I though of it randomly during my bubble bath, when one of my favorite James Taylor songs came on – “Shower the people.”
For all I know (and I don’t feel like checking), I’ve writte about this before, so bear with me if so. It’s an important topic!
I’ve always been a firm believer in not going to bed angry, not hanging up the phone angry, and not saying goodbye angry. And more importantly, doing all of those things without saying “I love you” or at least showing some sort of affection (if you have those sort of feelings for that person) upon departure.
It began for me as a kid. Every morning it was a hug, a kiss and an I love you to both of my parents. At bedtime it was the same thing. At the end of each phone call – I love you. Even if we were mad at each other, or I was in trouble or grounded, or whatever it might be – if I even tried to just go to bed or hang out with no I love yous or hugs or whatever, it was an issue. So yeah, sometimes I was annoyed as a kid, but in the end, I was so glad we did that. To this day, even if my mom and I get into an argument over the phone, we’ll be sure to call each other back to apologize within minutes if it had ended abruptly or angrily.
You just never know.
I follow this true to heart now with my boyfriend. Sometimes, we’re in MAJOR fights on the phone, and all we each want to do is throw our phones across the room, and scream shut the hell up and that be that. But, I’ve instituted a “say good bye and I love you” rule for us, and I really do think it helps. It may not always be with the most enthusiasm or maybe it’s so quiet and quick you can barely hear, but at least we say it – and we know we still mean it.
This isn’t because I’m all gloom and doom and constantly worried something bad is going to happen. It’s more because I just think it’s just generally important to share how you feel about someone now, TODAY, before you lose your chance. If you’re in love with someone and you just keep waiting, waiting, what happens if you miss your window? Then what? Your loss. If someone is going away on a trip for a long time and you left on bad terms, the whole time they’re gone, it will suck. Trust me. TELL THEM HOW YOU FEEL.
So in the words of James Taylor:
Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better if you only will
Jenna Sauber 