My Lovely Friend

I don't know if anyone else shares this problem, but I have a hard time taking things at face value, and I'm the most complex person I know, with the unfortunate skill of being able to complicate almost everything.

So you can imagine my difficulty in really understanding the following quote.

Galway Kinnell writes, "Sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness".

What does this mean?

Well, let's break it down.

What does "reteaching loveliness" mean; and what is your "loveliness"?

In my complicated mind, which I'm trying desperately to simplify more and more all the time, reteaching something implies that the person already knew it at one point. So, in order to reteach loveliness, it means you already at one point knew you were lovely. And your loveliness, I'm assuming, is what makes you lovely. It could be your kindness, or your capacity to love, or your graciousness, your zest for life. I'm envisioning here, that your loveliness is something that makes you unique and special at your core, and not just your dashing good looks or your white teeth or something.

So the next question from here, is obviously, how do you reteach loveliness?

Like I said, to reteach something, you're teaching a person something they should have already known in the past. For example, you once knew you were an amazing friend. But for some reason, you don't know this anymore, so you have to be re-taught. How does somebody forget something like that? How do you forget your loveliness? I would imagine that all of us have forgotten what makes us brilliant at some time or another, whether we realize it or not. But it's got to be an awfully depressing time in life not to know who we fundamentally are.

I guess some people get hurt by things, or people, and through insults and hurt feelings, they lose their self-worth. Maybe you forgot you were a great friend, because somebody implied that you're not, or told you that you weren't. But we need to remember that someone's perception of us, doesn't change what makes us lovely. So for someone to say that you're not a great friend might affect what makes them lovely, but not what makes you lovely.

So, when we forget our loveliness, in whichever way we forget it, it's important to reteach ourselves, and to let others reteach us. Maybe we need to reconnect with ourselves; with what makes us the happiest. Surround ourselves with people who never forget what makes us simply the best to be around. Maybe reteaching loveliness is just a kind word to replace a nasty insult; or a supportive hug for someone who's been given an unfriendly shove.

So, in closing, I'd like to say that you're a wonderful friend.

And here's to reteaching loveliness! x