Te quiero.
I love you.
Te Amo.
I Love you.
The difference, my friends, is in the Want or lack thereof.
The truthful nature of the Spanish language regarding Love was pointed out to me by Eckhart Tolle in his book, A New Earth. The following are my own thoughts.
Te quiero is said often. A valid term of endearment. A pat on the head.
Te Amo is said less frequently. Te amo bubbles and boils and flames like lava of the soul. Te amo gushes from deep within. No regard for compensation. Lava simply is.
Lava Is. When the fire of youth cools Lava does not disappear. Lava hardens. Becomes solid. Immovable.
Querer means To Want. To Desire. Although the popular vernacular for I love You is Te queiro, it more accurately means, I Want You.
Lovers in the heat of emotional passion can be found murmuring, I want you! in the receptive ear of the other. Physical desire. There is certainly nothing wrong with physical desire, in and of itself. Healthy, in fact.
But physical desire can be quenched. Lemonade on a thirsty throat.
The desire of The Body is far weaker than that the of The Soul. The Soul longs for Love. Lasting. True. Free of Want.
There was once a man who found his wife had committed adultery. She had betrayed him. He was enraged. He wanted her to want him. He was driven mad by his Desire.
"I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" he said as he grabbed her by the throat. His Love quickly turned to Hate. As any Love based on Want will.
Another man discovered his own wife had sinned against him in like manner.
"I love you so much," he said. The words dripped from his mouth and fell in puddles at her feet. He loved her in his sorrow. He was helpless in Love. Loved without desire for compensation. Loved whether or not she returned his depth of feeling.
There was once a mother with a daughter. "You will never Love me as much as I love you!" she accused. As if Love could be measured by the cup.
The daughter did all she could to please her mother. Kisses on the cheek. Tea and toast and Time. Her efforts were as if thrown down a well that never heard a splash. The more the girl gave, the more her mother desired.
"If you shame me, I will disown you," said the mother. "I say this out of Love. To protect you from yourself."
Another mother had a daughter. That daughter was wild. Wicked. Selfish. She obeyed none of the teachings of her youth. She never came to visit. People looked to The Mother and wondered what she had done to produce such a vile creature.
But The Mother knew the secret to successful life is in Free Will. Allowed her daughter that priveledge. Loved her like a Lighthouse loves a tossed and ragged ship in a violent storm.
There was once a writer who spent her life wishing to finally Be Somebody. The People would decide her fate. The more validation she recieved from Others, the more she Loved herself.
On days when Others found her works lacking self-loathing ripped her limb from needy limb. The writer wanted More. More readers. More attention. More false affection.
Another writer wished and prayed to be an instrument in the hands of her Creator. She wished her writings to uplift and inspire. Not for her own gain but for the betterment of those who read her humble works.
As you can see, Love is not commerce. Love is not an exchange of goods and services.
We are the Mad Husband and Loving Husband, both. You and I.
We are the controlling Mother and her Compassionate Counterpart, we.
I am the writer who wishes for the accolades of Man. I am the writer who only wishes to Serve with words.
In this life we suffer madness as we struggle to decipher who we really are. We catch glimpses of True Love that lies within. Some of us succeed at becoming Aware. Others flounder.
I venture to say we are on this Earth to perfect Love. To Love without Expectation. Love God. Love Each Other. Love Ourselves.
PS At the risk of inspiring jealousy in wives the world over I must share something.
Mmmmmk. So, my man has decided to spoil me with The 12 Days of Mother's Day!
Ahhhhh! I KNOW, RIGHT? (you all know how I adore that phrase...)
Who ever heard of such a thing? I feel lame by comparison.
Here we go:
On the first day of Mother's Day My True Love gave to me a brand new dress from Anthropologie!!
On the second day of Mother's day my True Love gave to me sparkling, clean toilets and a new dress from Anthropologie.
On the third day of Mother's Day my True Love gave to me an enormous vase of flowers, clean potties, and a new dress from Anthropologie.
On the fourth day of Mother's day my true love gave to me a naked full body massage... who cares about the rest after THAT! YEEOWWZA!! PHEW!
Can't wait to see what else that naughty Devil has in store for me tomorrow! ;) Meow. Pft. ROAR!
