I have not known love like most people currently or previously involved in a dedicated partnership, but it is through the love held in friendships and family (by genetics or spiritual bond) that I have been able to find strength and the perseverance to make it to where I am today.
Beyond the physical manifestation of beauty lies a naked truth, an honest reveal of love in it's most raw form. Behind the feminine curvature or chiseled muscular frame, beyond the scope of gender, race, language, shape, creed, and other features that define a mere fraction of the who behind the person we are lies a four chambered organic device that is filled with life. Heartache, pain, failures, success, wins, and every breath between the moments we make happen rest inside one of the two most important cogs in our machine (heart and brain).
I have been honored to take the battlefield with my family, The Cleveland Guardians, year after year as we develop a skillset that brings us closer together every practice under the tutelage of Master Nikki (the Jedi to our padawan). My heart rapidly pacing with excitement as my admiration grows deeper with further exposure and understanding of the drive, talent, and positive nature of veteran skaters like Jasmine and Dana (Purr Oxide and Grim D Mise) as they lead their team to a victory that reaches beyond point balances and trophies. Roller derby has provided a love like no other, every bruise a kiss from the best frenemy one could ever wish to have.
I have been blessed with a bond closer than blood to my fellow staff within Horrorhound as dear, sweet Trevor lured me into his world within the horror community. It opened doors not only to work with the famous faces most people fanboy/fangirl but to a new world of friendship with many I would never have met otherwise such as my dearest of friends, Jeanette and Casey. Hard work, long hours, and more laughter and love rolled into a weekend than I see in most months combined.
I have been granted a very special opportunity to meet a wonderful community of dancers, MMA fighters, scientists, musicians, models, graffiti artists, and much more within the very open community of Suicide Girls as they have enveloped me with love and allowed my creativity to flourish as I post lyrics, poetry, reviews, and more within their virtual halls. Crossing language barriers they helped open my small Midwestern US view to a level equal to a panoramic view of our planet from the stars above. Finding a home within the hearts of many across the globe has never been as enriching an experience as cultures collide to create this beautiful fusion of everything that makes us individuals. I found hearth and home away from my [roller derby] home right here.
Love is not [simply] a collection of anniversaries or the numbness that lingers on your lips as you kiss that special someone, it is the drive to succeed as oneself, the experiences and follies through life's explorations, the equation of combined individuals making an effort to define themselves and create a beautiful view of the world through fusion. Love is the undefinable moments that no words can describe, it is two people speaking different languages communicating through emotional understanding. Love is the ability to drive through our darkest moments so that we can shine and guide those around us.
Love is a partnership, sure. It is the momentary weakness of knees and shimmering of eyes as two pairs meet to become one light. It is the unending quest to make the other laugh harder than oneself at their worst jokes. It is the one thing that makes everything turn, the gravity to our planet, the oil to our cogs, the hydration to our cotton mouths.
I have not known love like a marriage proposal or melted moment as three simple words are revealed upon lips, but I have known family and I've felt truth. I have found strength. I have found self and a world that continues to grow on me no matter how dark the sky. I have seen fire and have seen rain, but my brothers and sisters continue to carry my heart as they face adversity with a smile (here's looking at you, Grim) or pick up some weights to unleash all hell and become the healthiest version of themselves (Purr, a little jealousy rises here).
Loss is inevitable, mistakes will be made, fights may even occur, but in the end it is one love that will guide us to victory for self and those we choose to call friend, family, partner, or any synonymous term of endearment. Hold your heart high and it will never fail. Hold your hand out and the bond can only grow stronger. To love is to learn and to learn is to love. Never stop and love will find it's way to guide you.
Sincerely,
Xander
❤❤❤
@rambo @missy
