Love is the Key

“Love is light for the soul.” ~Lailah Gifty Akita

Dear Universe,

As you know, I am always on the lookout for signs in whatever way you want to deliver them to me.

That’s why I couldn’t help but notice a certain message all around me while I was in London and Paris.

Love.

Love in London:

The trip started in London, a city I love very much.

On our first excursion, we went to my favorite spot. I had to see my man, Big Ben. As we stepped off the tube and walked outside, I saw something I had never seen in London before.

Love locks. There were just a few so it was easy to overlook these metal tokens that symbolize commitment and adoration.

But there they were, staring at me on our first full day in London.

It felt like a sweet way to start this journey.

Love, Paris Style:

Our next stop was Paris. They don’t call this the city of love for no reason.

One night I couldn’t help but see love was all around me. There were couples cuddling over a glass of wine, a couple stealing a passionate kiss in a store, and there were just the endless smiles, hand holding, and one lucky girl getting a sidewalk-slow dance with her love, complete with him twirling her around (that would be me!) With the Arc de Triomphe lit up behind us, it felt like a scene from a movie.

And by day, love was just as apparent. My favorite moment was our walk up the Seine River. That’s when we stumbled on a love lock bridge! This bridge was covered in hundreds of colored locks. There were so many locks, you could forget you were even looking at a bridge.

The locks were inscribed with names, initials, dates, poetic words and wishes. With the sun shining down, casting a magical sparkle on all the locks, it felt like we stepped into an illustration from a fairy tale.

Of course I immediately procured a lock from a street vendor, and we went to work! Our is there in the sea of metal, a promise made amongst hundreds of others, yet standing out just the same.

As we walked a little further, we came upon another bridge. This was the one that Paris had just removed all the love locks from. The metal grates were replaced by glass. On the glass was the message: Love is the key.

One of my favorite mantras that has come up for me this year is “I choose love.” I try to remember that love is they key when I am faced with a challenge. It makes things easier when you look through a loving lens.

Back to London:

We took the train back to London and had two more nights there before heading to Dublin.

In the train station stands one of my favorite statues. Two lovers embrace as they say goodbye or are reunited after time apart. The statue captures the emotion and love between the couple.

Later, as we strolled the streets in search of somewhere to eat, I stepped on this sidewalk sticker.

The message stayed with me. The only way to fully embrace and receive love is to let go of fear.

The next day—our last day—we had another stop to make: Abbey Road to see the famous place that commemorates the Beatles (more on this in another post!) But I saw one final sign that seemed to fit with everything else: