Homies = Love

Wtf brings me joy?

Love. Arguably the only real thing in this bizarre world we find ourselves in. Here we are, intelligent monkeys running around a floating rock, in a void of nothingness filled only with other (empty) rocks, and balls of gas. Without love, that premise would be pretty terrifying actually… Yet here we are, unafraid, full of life, and most importantly: full of love.

This challenge of “Love More” got me thinking about love in all its totality. Love is everything, really. Joy, despair, pleasure, pain: all of these can be caused by love. It really is the force of life emanating throughout the world, giving hope to everything it touches. But what does it mean to me? Abstract philosophies aside… Well, to me? Love is people. What would life be without the people we share it with?! Boring, for a start. And, well, very lacking in love. So, when tasked with presenting work that brings me joy, I spent a long time pondering over different self-help and inspirational podcasts, videos and social media accounts that have helped me on my path. They certainly have added something to my life, and for the better, but did they bring me joy? True, love fuelled, warming joy? Honestly, no… Not that they aren’t fabulous, by any means, but for me true joy comes from the people that I love. So, in order to bring real passion to this piece, my friends are exactly what I am going to write about. Luckily, I have some talented buddies who have taken the plunge to share their work with the world - and it truly does bring my joy.

Instagram supastaaaa

Without further-ado, I would like to introduce the social media account that makes me “love more”: @scanlon.unstuck

Now if a pic as wavy as that doesn’t bring you joy, I don’t know what will. Of course, for myself there are ulterior reasons for the warmth this wonderfully wacky account brings my heart. Namely, seeing your friends flourish is among the finest feelings in the world. Additionally, extremely inspiring! Without friends like her who have the courage to put themselves out there, who knows, maybe I wouldn’t have the courage to be putting this out here. Inspiration, and likewise courage, is contagious. Friends are always there to infect one another (perhaps not the most tasteful analogy considering present circumstances…) and its amazing. On a wider level (back to my abstract philosophies), it’s quite magnificent to be alive during a time when we can so freely create, and share our work thanks to technology. Never before in history has it been as easy to express our souls’ creative urges – and that’s pretty fab.

Dat aesthetic tho... + relatable af. You may consider love and joy officially brought-forth.

Motivate me please!!! I need inspo!!

Moving onto a podcast that brings me joy, made by a good friend, we have “Clueless: The Podcast”.

The inspiration behind the podcast is discussing being unsure of what to do with, well, life basically. After graduating university, leaving school, or whilst being stuck in a dead-end job. Ain’t that relatable? It brings a huge amount of joy and inspiration to me. No less was I proud of my friend for taking the plunge and making this podcast, but for me the content of one episode in particular was fantastic. The guest they had on was a woman called Erica who had been a lawyer and felt unsatisfied with her job, so decided to quit and follow her passion: tea. Now? She owns a fabulous tea room called “eteaket” in Edinburgh. Wow! What an inspiration. Throughout the podcast, I felt warm just hearing my friends voice, again something about that connection is enough to bring anyone joy. But furthermore, as they were discussing the Erica’s journey, a lot of the discussion stirred something within me.

Something awesome worth noting was the “Tea Mind” campaign Erica ran as part of her business. It involves taking a few minutes to be mindful and ground into the present moment whilst your tea is brewing. I just loved the idea! It brought up another wave of joy, this time (back once again to the abstract philosophies…) because I can just feel the world getting better all the time. More and more people are following their passions, becoming more conscious of themselves, and giving back to the world. This campaign is the perfect example, that businesses are no longer just about profit, but have missions to make the world a better place along the way. The benefits of mindfulness are plenty, so coming up with such a simple campaign to share this wisdom was inspiring to me. Happiness and warmth just wash over me thinking about this ever-evolving world. So, on the subject of loving more, all one has to do is take a closer look at businesses and their ethical missions, to see the world is more and more loving every day.

Homies = Love (2.0)

That brings us to a photo that brings me joy, it’s pretty simple. Just like love itself I guess... Me and some of my homies, hugging and laughing in the local Wetherspoons a couple of years ago.

If looking at a picture of your gang doesn’t bring you joy, and (at certain times of the month anyway…) a tear to your eye, then take a second look. Really. There’s not too much to say about this, it’s just a simple photo. It maybe won’t bring you joy but it certainly brings me a load of it. I chose this picture in particular because everyone in it is just so happy, and that makes me happy. Simple, happy, love. Hanging out with your bros is the best medicine for most emotional ailments (just cant stop with these "sick" (lol) analogies - whoops!), and I’ll always be grateful for the weirdos I have in my life, and the opportunities to take cheesy pics just like this one.

I hope this story has brought you as much joy, as creating it has for me. Or at least reminded you how much joy can be brought-forth from the people in your life, and from observing the little ways the world is improving every day. If you really want to “love more”? I would start by really letting yourself feel the joy that the love in your life already brings you – it’s easy to take for granted, but it’s always there. And will always be there. And it’s wonderful… Just like love itself.