real-loving-thoughts

[real-loving-thoughts]

Because someone is on the ball, Turner Classic is playing (among other WWII films) The Great Dictator today.

If you haven't seen it, please do. It was produced by Charlie Chaplin in the late 1930s, when it became clear that the war was going to happen, and came out in 1940 after it had started. Essentially, Chaplin realized that his famous mustache was about to be usurped forever by a fascist, and that fascist was going to kill a lot more people in the future than he had already.

It's a parody, made before the worst horrors of the Nazi regime were known to the general public, so there is discomfort here (if you've seen Disney's Der Fuhrer's Face, you'll get the idea), but the movie ends with Chaplin essentially saying "fuck it, no one else seems to be speaking out about this and I'm going to use my platform to do that."

For context, this character is a Jew who has been mistaken for the dictator (for obvious mustache-related reasons), and has been sent onstage at a rally to give a speech. Instead of trying to impersonate Hitler, he says what he really thinks. And keep in mind, Chaplin was coming out of semi-retirement for this. It was the first time most people had ever heard him speak, and this is what he said:

[real-loving-thoughts]

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The New York Times did a piece titled 100 Small Acts of Love and these are some of my favorites 💕

[real-loving-thoughts]

Sometimes I'm astounded that even with all my illnesses, there are three people in the world that will love me at my sickest, even when there is no guarantee that I could pay them back

[real-loving-thoughts]

One of my favorite things in the world is watching him feel joy because of something I fed him, a joke I made, or just watching his face relax at the end of the day when I can touch him for the first time

[real-loving-thoughts]

Today my partner was sleeping and I was cuddling him in the middle of the day (he works night shift so it's literally 2 pm). He hasn't been sleeping well the past couple of days, and it correlated to the days when I was up and about instead of staying with him. He sleep talks as well so lots of times he'll have nightmares and I can sort of redirect them or help him through them while he's sleeping (which is cool in and of itself). I was hoping that by staying with him he'd have better sleep. Granted he woke a few times, but at one point I was soothing him, telling him I love him and he's safe and all that and he took off the sleep mask and just beamed at me and told me he loves me too. I know he was still sleeping because he's done similar things before, so I helped him back to sleep, but wow did that make my heart SING. I felt love in every pore of my body and my chest got all tight and warm.

[real-loving-thoughts]

I love that I'm with someone that actually sees *me* instead of the collection of traits and habits that I thought I needed to be loved. I am seen and loved for exactly who I am, no one else, not even the best version of myself. He sees the average me and gives them all the affection and devotion I never thought I deserved.

[real-loving-thoughts]

I love that I can be childish with my partner! I can use baby talk and pout and do things that would be seen as "cringe" around other people and be totally safe with him! And all the while my inner child is being healed because I can be needy without being an inconvenience or being disappointing! He's awesome! Love is so fuckign cooooooool!