What is Love (really)?

In Sanskrit, there are 96 words for love.
In ancient Persian, 80.
In Greek, six.
And in English… just one.

Maybe that’s part of the problem. We’ve been trying to squeeze a vast, multidimensional, shape-shifting mystery into a single

four-letter word.

This week, I came across something that stopped me in my tracks. Lionel Richie — yes, that Lionel Richie, the man whose songs have serenaded generations of lovers — has a new memoir coming out called Truly.

And in it, he says something that shocked me:

“In the business of fame and entertainment, ‘I love you’ loses its magic fast. … Even when I was writing emotional love songs, I began to distrust ‘I love you.’”

Think about that for a second. The guy who gave us Endless Love, Hello, and Three Times a Lady — no longer trusts those three little words.

He’s also admitted that during the height of his fame, love and illusion got tangled up. People fell for the spotlight, not the soul. And who among us hasn’t experienced some version of that — where “love” meant something different to the other person than it did to us?

It made me wonder, maybe “I love you” isn’t a promise, a possession, or a guarantee. Maybe it’s just an invitation — one that only becomes real through our actions, attention, and presence.

Here’s what I believe:

Love is a choice.

Love is connection.

Love is a feeling.

Love is a behavior.

Love is the juiciest part of life.

Love opens our hearts, expands our world and brings a smile to our lips.

When we speak our love to another, we say to them:

I will love you on your good days and your bad days.

I will be your safe place to land.

I will share with you my attention, affection, and appreciation.

So, what is love, really? Maybe it’s everything that happens after the words are spoken.

With love (in all its 96 forms),

Arielle                                                                                                                           

P.S.  The Love Thief Tour of India has NEW dates, March 15-24, and meet the amazing meditation master guide, Roger Gabriel! Details here!

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