Lyrical Life Lessons: Let’s Talk About Love Via ‘I Wont Give Up’ by Jason Mraz

Dare I say it, ladies? It is February, which means we are smack dab in the middle of the month of looooove. If you imagined I just said that like a third grader, you would be correct. I am, after all, a firm believer that we were smarter about many things in our younger years, love included. “Boy meets girl” held a certain ease and magic before we were old enough to know of unrequited love or broken hearts – when we were innocent, if you will. However, I suppose there is something to be said for aging gracefully and learning a few things about happily ever after. If I am being honest though, my confession would be that after twenty-some years of storybook love and a few heartbreaks, my greatest lessons about love have been of the lyrical variety. Everyone’s favorite pop-rocker, the soulful, love-song-singing, Jason Mraz, set us all straight when he released ‘I Won’t Give Up’ last spring, providing the benchmark to which all love should be measured.

Like all the great love stories (enter The Notebook and everyone’s favorite romancer, Ryan Gosling), this song reminds us that love isn’t something we are often given, but rather a gift for which we must be willing to put up a fight. Don’t get me wrong; I am still a hopeless romantic, holding on to the notion that there is such a thing as soulmates, one person for everyone, and I think Mr. Mraz might agree. What we come to learn is that soulmate is not synonymous with perfection or flawless love. More often than not, finding your soulmate may mean uncovering an awareness that the person you have met is someone that, despite rough skies and falling stars, you cannot live without; identifying that one person that makes you think twice about walking away, the one you won’t give up on. Finding a love worth fighting for may just be more desirable than stumbling upon one that requires little personal gumption.

This thing called love has also been known to afford us a life lesson or two along the way if we have the sense to allow it. Scary as it may be, love has the power to teach us about not only others and what we hope to get out of falling truly, madly, deeply, but also about ourselves; “what we’ve got, what we’re not and who we are.” It is quite possible that the truest loves, the ones we should each hope for, teach us more about ourselves than we could ever learn on our own. As Jason smoothly and soulfully sings to us, “We got a lot to learn, but God knows we’re worth it.” we realize learning how to navigate love with another person should at least be the goal. It would be nice to, in the end, or even somewhere in the middle, be able to say, “We didn’t break, we didn’t burn. We had to learn how to bend, without the world caving in.” Love is patient. Love is kind. And love should teach us something.

Most importantly, Jason Mraz sings these lyrics in a way that make the listener believe that the smooth words represent ideal love in it’s simplest yet, most gracious form. Just as everyone is entitled to their unique and personal opinion on religion, all individuals are entitled to their belief in the type of love that is right for them. However, I believe when Mr. Mraz sang I Wont Give Up, he touched on a love that we should all be so lucky to find. As we listen we hear a few specific verses that represent the most wonderful type of love…

When I look into your eyes,

It’s like watching the night sky. 

Or a beautiful sun rise,

There’s so much they hold. 

Or how about…

Just like them old stars, 

I see that you’ve come so far, 

To be right where you are.

And yet again…

And when you’re needin’ your space,

To do some navigating,

Ill be here patiently waiting,

To see what you find.

In theory, the above is the type of perfection I am not sure any of us are actually, actively looking for. Am I right? Is anyone out there going on a date and having conversation during which you casually inquire whether or not that person will patiently wait for you if you decide you just aren’t sure who you are anymore? Or if they will, someday, appreciate how far you have come? Dually noted that these are tough characteristics to scope out, but what we can learn is that this is the type of love we all deserve. As we grow in life and in love, in relationships too, we begin to know what sincerity and kindness look like, the actions that speak of true love and admiration. I believe we garner the ability to understand if the love we have fallen for will someday afford us a love that will not only know the amount of life our eyes hold, but also admire all that is behind them.

Love is no less than a tricky business and each of us have fallen for the type that was not so true. Love is a great deal like the rest of life in that, we must often play the cards we have been dealt to the best of our ability; approach it with the knowledge that we have gained, an open mind, as little fear as our common sense will allow and a best friend on speed dial. And remember, the thing about love is, if we are willing to take a chance on it, it will usually be willing to take a chance on us. So keep looking until you find what Mr. Mraz’s love song is preaching. I still believe it’s out there.

Lastly, let us not forget that perfect love very often exists in places we forget to look, within people we unintentionally take for granted. The ‘I Won’t Give Up’ video is a sweet reminder of just that. It is very likely that each of us have mothers or fathers, sisters or brothers, best friends turned family that love us in the very way these lyrics tell us we should love and be loved. Let us always remember to be grateful for those who already give so much of their heart to us; these are the people among us who have shown this sought after type of love from the beginning.

Happy month of loooove to the loveliest ladies I know, all of our Gigglers! xoxox

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