Love isn’t always what you see in movies or on TV. Sometimes it’s the love between a dog and its master, between (platonic) best friends, between a God(dess) and his/her followers, or even between a teenager and his/her iPod or cell phone. Personally, love means being comfortable enough to be who I am around people who feel the same way. Every day, the word “love” is used in every sense, but when did it acquire more than one, and why is it used (in speech and writing) for any other reason?

Love is a very vague word these days. I know I hear it all the time, and I don’t just mean when people tell me they love me. Regardless of whether or not I hear it often from people who do love me, it has evolved into a general term to describe how one cares for objects, rather than living things in most cases. It’s such a general term that I’ve even caught myself saying something along the lines of, “I love my iPod.” It’s inaccurate and materialistic. As much as I hate that use of the word, because I’m surrounded by people every day who use it that way, I use it that way, too. It’s become a habit that I’d like to break. There are practically an infinite number of words in the English language. Can we not find a different adjective?

Really, “love” is a defining word, for defining moments. It’s one of those three words that everyone wants to hear. Love is something we say to describe the perfectly imperfect relationships we have with the important people or animals in our lives. Love is the word commonly misused by people of all ages. It’s not something you say to your iPod. I mean, let’s be honest here; how odd do you think you’d look, sincerely saying to your iPod, “I love you”? Seriously, that is just grounds for being institutionalized. Now, imagine saying the same thing, to your significant other, relative, pet, or best friend; much more practical, right?

All I’m saying is that people might take you more seriously if you think twice about using the word “love” in any context, other than describing your emotions toward another. I’ll give you a head start; these are some fabulous synonyms for “love”: adoration, infatuation, fondness, attachment, cherishing, inclination, etc. You get the idea.