121: Forgotten Words
"I love you." It is a forgotten phrase. Not romantically—romantically it has been spoken and copied and paraphrased to the point of meaninglessness. Nor by the grandmother who knits woollen socks for her eleven grandchildren, nor by the father who holds his newborn child for the first time.
But among friends it has slipped out of use. It is implied in the birthday cards and hugs, in the drinks and lunches, in the texts and the "this reminded me of you"-messages. But it is never spoken. Somehow, the phrase, "I love you," has been coded as too romantic and too familial to be spoken among friends, and yet love is undoubtedly what all these little gestures point towards—when you are ill and a friend calls you to distract you from the runny nose and coughs, when you and a friend huddle up on a sofa with tea and biscuits to bounce essay-ideas off each other (even though you know nowhere near enough of your friend's studies to advice them, and your friend knows nowhere near enough of yours), when you go out for coffee with a friend because they have been feeling down lately and need some cheering up.
Why is it so difficult to acknowledge that we love?
Written by: Katrine H. (@katrinehjulstad)
But among friends it has slipped out of use. It is implied in the birthday cards and hugs, in the drinks and lunches, in the texts and the "this reminded me of you"-messages. But it is never spoken. Somehow, the phrase, "I love you," has been coded as too romantic and too familial to be spoken among friends, and yet love is undoubtedly what all these little gestures point towards—when you are ill and a friend calls you to distract you from the runny nose and coughs, when you and a friend huddle up on a sofa with tea and biscuits to bounce essay-ideas off each other (even though you know nowhere near enough of your friend's studies to advice them, and your friend knows nowhere near enough of yours), when you go out for coffee with a friend because they have been feeling down lately and need some cheering up.
Why is it so difficult to acknowledge that we love?
Written by: Katrine H. (@katrinehjulstad)
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