My love affair with life.

What is true love? For love to be true, does it have to be unconditional? If yes then, do we really love life truly? There are so many conditions life needs to meet, in order for us to be happy and love our lives.

When we were young, our needs were simple. As long as we had some toys, friends to play with,food and security of loved ones, we were content. As we grow older, our requirements grow exponentially.

Now we want the toy of the moment as soon as it comes out. There is a need to be seen with the right people, even if none of them prove to be good friends at time of need. We still want food but now we want magical food so no matter how much we eat, we never gain a pound. I find that grown up relationships become conditional. It becomes harder and harder for people to accept other people for who they are.

Even a parent-child relationship becomes conditional. A parent is happy as long as, child is doing exactly what the parent wants him to do. As soon as, the child wants to make decision based on his own individual likings and aspirations, a big hurricane like pattern enters the relationship. The big and mighty EGO from both sides wants to win. The parental ego wants to make sure that the child knows who the boss is, and the child's ego wants to prove that I am my own boss. In this big battle of egos, the parents forget that they are there to provide unconditional support to the child in his own individual journey and child forgets to give the parents even a little bit of benefit of doubt that the parents only want what is good for the child.

Now approval of our choices by others, becomes another requirement for us to love our lives. With each passing year, our demands from life keep growing. From the It job to the perfect husband and kids to the perfect body, the list is endless.

In my case, I have had a love-hate type of relationship with life. I do wish that I had appreciated all the blessings that life was kind enough to bestow upon me more, but I was too busy focusing on all the pain that came my way. I know this now, that if I had accepted life as it was in any given time, my journey would have been more enjoyable. My new goal is to love life unconditionally. Wish me luck.