I really wanted to write about the importance of arranged marriages. If you had a spouse picked out for you, you wouldn't have to worry about a lot of things. You wouldn't have to worry about dating and the awkward situations that arise while dating. Never again would you have to suffer walking out of the bathroom with toilet paper on your shoe, go on a rampage about the removal of your wisdom teeth in a desperate attempt to start conversation or get stuck in the seatbelt of your date's car.
Facebook would have a new "looking for" option: "Random hookups until my marriage to ______." Also, the best part of an arranged marriage would be that you would never have to shower. My roommate informs me that even if I am not alooking for a date I should still shower, for my health and her well-being ... Whatever.
There is one slight problem with arranged marriages, however: Your parents pick your future spouse. This would not bode well for me considering the fact that my parents are big Robert Duvall fans.
This week, however, when I thought about what is important to me, jokes about arranged marriages were just not going to cut it. The devastating events of Monday made me think about what is really important to me (Sorry, I am going to be serious now): love.
I am not talking only about passionate/lusty/let's-get-married love. I am talking about just the general love that I feel for my family, my friends, oxygen, my dog, a good ice-cream cone, running, the random kid on the street who is brave enough to wear a sombrero for no reason, those really clear nights when you can see the Milky Way and the other special things in life. These things I love are important to me.
This week has been a devastating week for the students here at the University and university students across the nation. As a student, I think I am in my own safe, little sphere away from the political and emotional turmoil of the real world. It is a shock when this sense of security is taken away by a devastating tragedy. To get through times like this, I rely on the people I love. I try to remember the love I feel in life so I am not too sickened by the terrible things in the world.
For me, appreciating those you love is important, doing things you love is important and doing things for the love of others is important. I think that at times like this, love needs to take the leading role in all actions.
I love my sister -- she has been the companion of my childhood and now my adulthood. We have fought, laughed, made up dances to the Lion King soundtrack, chased each other around the house with kitchen utensils, made snow forts and gone on road trips.
The feelings I have for her are unique, just as my feelings about each one of my friends are unique. I love the friend who is always there for the 2 a.m. "I have so much work to do" phone call. I love the friend who, through a thick southern drawl, makes fun of my Northern accent. I love the friend I only see once a week but still can laugh with.
There are a lot of things in this world to love.
The spring brings flowers, bees, bee stings, good smells and new leaves. It also brings exams, the stress of making life-changing decisions and finding a job. I know this year my stress will be mixed with sadness. I will try to remember that what I love about my life, who I love in my life and what I do that I love are what make my life great -- if I can do this, my sorrow might feel some relief.
So, yeah ... I think John Lennon had it right when he said: "All you need is love."
Maggie's columns run biweekly on Fridays. She can be reached at jones@cavalierdaily.com.
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