My favorite quote is by Henry David Thoreau “there is no remedy for love but to love more”. I have it sitting by my bathroom sink so I can remind myself of this each morning. I truly struggled with the concept of love. I had always been so afraid of falling in love, as a way to protect myself. It took time, but I am now so blessed to be with the love of my life, Lord Watergate. At first, I stopped myself from falling too hard. I pushed him away as a way to protect myself. My anxiety prevented me from feeling worthy of his love. Before we got married, his presence provided me with hope, and I truly did mess it up when he showed romantic interest for the first time. Thankfully, he was able to give me the second chance of his love and has not let me fall short of feeling his love every second of every day I am with him. Additionally, we have a child, a child I love deeply. Lord Watergate has shown his love for me through the love of our child; he is truly an excellent father. Through our marriage, I feel I have grown tremendously as a person. I no longer am the timid person I once was. I have a newfound confidence and have found myself to be truly worthy of all of my blessings. I no longer carry with me the burden of feeling like I must find wealth to be happy. I have found happiness through the love of my life.
Editorial Commentary: The remedy for love is to love more. This was quoted by Henry David Thoreau during his lifetime. Just as we experience a loss of love, we must cure it with newfound love. Love is often considered a relationship between a man and a woman, yet love can be defined as anything. Relating to sexuality, a common modern-day ideal is that you can be in love with whoever you choose. With the legalization of same-sex marriage, this is now considered socially acceptable. During the Victorian Era, it was considered wrong to have a relationship that was not considered traditional. Love should not be something that you turn your back on. It should be something you embrace, even if it may be anxiety-provoking. Gertrude Lorimer a notable Victorian Era woman, pushed love away due to her own fear of losing love. After pushing away her love, she finds herself feeling worse than before she even had the chance of love. This is why Henry David Thoreau encouraged this idea of loving more to combat the feelings of fear surrounding losing love. Turning away from love isn’t the answer. It is imperative that no longer how hard it must be, we must recover by loving more. This may not always fall into a relationship. When our partner betrays our trust and lets us down, we can recover by finding love through our friendships and our families. Gertrude Lorimer found love through the bond she shared with her sisters. Love in the Victorian Era was often revolved around the friendships women carried with one another because they could relate to how much pressure society placed on them to fall into an often unhappy romantic relationship. Trusting in the process of finding love, is trusting in the idea that pain does not remain forever.
Citation:
Henry David Thoreau, Journal, July 25, 1839.
Levy, Amy. The Romance of a Shop. 1889. COVE, 2020.