17th June, 2019
“Dear Diary,
Years ago, when I was just a stupid teenager who knew no better, I would have probably never told any of my friends that I loved them platonically. But as somebody who has done quite a bit of growing up, I now understand how important it is to tell your friends that you love them. I could kick my younger self for ever thinking it was ‘wrong’ to say ‘I love you’ to the people closest to us in life. I know it feels nice because every time my friends tell me that they love me, it feels like a warm hug.”
Not to be pointing fingers at anybody, but a big part of the reason why I could never bring myself to say something like that to my friends could have been because my idiotic classmates were horribly homophobic and would bully people to no end if they so much as complimented each other. Given the environment we were subjected to, it’s very surprising that my friends and I even got comfortable with saying that we loved each other. It’s kind of like a little affirmation every now and then, just to let your friends know that you’ve got their back, and I really wish I had learnt this sooner.
I won’t pretend to be an expert on mental health, but I can tell you that letting your friends know that you love them, in whatever small, platonic way you can, is so damn important! Telling your friends, your parents, your children, your partners— if they hold a very special place in your life, then saying ‘I love you’ isn’t and shouldn’t be a task. It is a simple but very strong way to let them know how important they are to you.
The kind of society I grew up in had conditioned me into thinking that the word ‘love’ is meant in a romantic sense only. And as a person who (almost always) tries to spread positivity around, I am not very proud of it. I’m so glad I grew out of it.
But as a comparatively woke person, I try to let as many of my closest friends as I can that I love them. I’ve realized that there are different kinds of ‘love’ and they all hold an incredible amount of meaning. I mean, hey, if saying three words from the heart can make somebody’s day a lot better, then what do I have to lose from it?
Being somebody who can lift people’s spirits is an amazing feeling and it comes from letting those closest to us know how much they mean to us. Even if it is only in a small way. It’s almost like some kind of a superpower.
So, here’s a word to the wise: Don’t overthink it. Just tell your friends that you love them and light up their day!
Be somebody’s sunshine!
Cheerio! Xx
Hey guys! For day 17, I chose to write about one thing I’m grateful to have grown out of. I would love to hear stories about the same from you in the comments below. Also, let’s catch up on Instagram; I’m most active there. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.
Yours truly,
The Shubhster.
The Shubhster Diaries 