Words More Meaningful Than “Love”

Kabba and Chupu

Love

Love is a simple word shared countless times, by countless people, who use it in countless ways. A word that exposes our most vulnerable parts to those that we cherish in the depths of our hearts. To me, it was a word to be treasured, to be valued, to be a synonym for all the words we wanted to say, and all the feelings we couldn't put into words. When I was young, love was a magical word that I would hold on to and only say when I really, truly meant it. Ah, those young and naive days.

I remember laying on my bed when I was a teenager, knocking on the doors of puberty, and dreaming of all the things that could be. I would stare up at the ceiling, lost in thought as Backstreet Boys and Westlife serenaded my daydreams. These fantasies went a little like this:

I was the strong and silent nerd with a heart of gold and she was the mislabeled queen bee — a beautiful soul under all the self-centered glamour that only I, her prince, could see. We met by chance on a warm summer day, forced together by coincidence or fate. She gave me a glance from the corner of her eye and I turned away — as cool as “ice ice baby”. It was love at first sight.

She was in my arms the very next day, so warm, so soft, all the ways a boy dreamt a girl was supposed to be. We were standing on the beach, the night sky above us and sand at our feet. Fireworks colored the sky as I looked into her eyes. I leaned in close and shared a mix of words I had held onto for years, words so full of meaning, a phrase for her ears only. “I love you.”

In that phrase was a word that was ours, something that said all I had to say and all the feelings I couldn’t put into words — love.

But the more I grew up, the more this word seemed to change. I heard it everywhere, from everyone, and the word became as common as “hey”.

“Dude! I love your new shoes.”

“I love this new game.”

“Oh, I love that meme with the cat running in space farting rainbows.”

Love here, love there, love love love everywhere!

Where was the meaning? Where was the romance? Where was the rush of emotions that made butterflies take flight in your stomach and made your heart beat like a drum?

Love was no longer special. It had lost its meaning.

It seemed hopeless. The meaning of love became mainstream and I was left without a word to say what I wanted to say. How was I going to express those thoughts that danced around my heart and cluttered up my brain? I could have said “I love you” but what did that even mean?

Did I love you as a friend? Did I love you as an object? Did I love you as a meme? These were the questions that plagued my adult mind as I searched for words that meant something more to me. After a day of meandering through my maze of memories, there were two insubstantial words I could clearly see.

Kabba

The name my mother called me by ever since I was a bouncy bundle of giggles and stinky nappies. Kabba is a combination of two words, Kasun — my name and baba — the Sinhalese word for baby. It can have a hundred meanings dictated by a subtle change of tone.

“Kabba…” and “Kabba!” can mean two very different things. One is a loving call from a mother who has gotten you a treat. The other is the roar of a lioness finding out her cub has been naughty. Pray you never misinterpret them because mixing them up will lead to dire consequences.

I’ve heard this word throughout my life and I still hear it to this day. Even though I am an adult, when I hear that word I’m back to being a child, proud of the ugly painting I crafted or shaking in my boots, scared of the mess I’ve made. A word with so much meaning, I continue to treasure to this day.

Chupu

This is another word I treasure. A word that came up out of the blue during a conversation with my girlfriend.

If you scroll through our conversations, you will most likely blush, then cringe and after catching your breath you might notice this word pop up now and then. To anyone casually reading through, this word is just a simple, cute, and fluffy replacement for my name. But to me, it can be an expression of kindness, compassion, concern, or even frustration.

There are times in my life where I feel like there is nothing left, I’m all alone, and the walls are caving in. But when I hear this word or read it off a small crystal screen, I know that I am with her and she’s next to me. It is a word that proves that I am not alone because we have given this meaningless word meaning and it has become a word that is completely unique.

We All Have Our Special Little Words

According to the Oxford Dictionary,

Words are units of language that mean something and can be spoken or written.

But who gives those words meaning?

It is you and me.

It is us that give these weird and wonderful sounds that come out of our mouths value. It is us that give those strange and vivid shapes written on paper or digital screens weight. Whether it's accepted worldwide, between your family and friends, or by just you, those words can have meaning beyond all the other words in every dictionary.

Kabba and Chupu are two words that weave a hundred emotions between a few simple syllables. You have these special words too. Think about it. Think about the words you share between the ones you love, those weird sounds and shapes that only you know. Those meaningless words that spring to life when you or someone close hears them. You give those words meaning. Keep them close and cherish them, because they are your words.

They are the synonym for all the words you want to say, and all the feelings you can’t put into words.

Thank you for reading and have a great day.