People Who Love

Sometimes in this life we meet people who seem inexplicably and magnetically attractive to everyone around them.  Physically they look ok...but nothing special.  They are intelligent...but not geniuses.  Competent...but without incredible talent.  Good personalities...but no outstanding traits.  Funny...but not comedians.  So what is it that makes these essentially average people into individuals that others gravitate too like moths to a flame?

My Psychology studies would point me towards the answer that they possess outstanding social skills.  They are attractive simply because they are so rewarding to interact with.  This might be true up to a point, but the more romantic side of me believes there is more to it than that.  I met one of these rare and wonderful people while I was in Istanbul, and that has brought me back to thinking about this subject.  My conclusion was...these people stand out like an oasis in the desert because they genuinely love people.  Their passion is life and everything in it.  And their passion is so strong that they cannot help but overflow with love for those around them.  I am aware I am at risk of sounding overly sentimental here, but I dont mean the wishy-washy kind of love that is wheeled out at Valentine's Day.  They simply delight in existence, and while you are part of the world in which they find themselves then you are automatically included in that joy.  And I have yet to meet anyone who manages to avoid getting caught up in that emotional connection.

As a Christian we are called to love mankind, and I think that these people who love are the living definition of what this means, regardless of their faith.  Love is not charity, or projects, or good deeds.  Love is the unconditional offering of an emotional bond, and those who can offer it in this form make the world a far better place.

I hope that one day I might become the kind of person who lights up rooms with love.

The picture is me in the vortex tunnel in Edinburgh's Camera Obscura - you can take the coolest light pictures in that thing and the whole centre is well worth a visit if you are in Edinburgh!