Kisses, even to the air, are beautiful.

The actress and dreamer Drew Barrymore once said with disarming simplicity: “Kisses, even to the air, are beautiful.” In this short phrase lies a wisdom both playful and profound. For she reminds us that gestures of love and tenderness are not diminished by their lack of an object. Even when there is no one to receive them, the act itself carries beauty, dignity, and meaning. A kiss sent to the air is a prayer of the heart, a spark of joy released into the world.

To understand this, we must see that beauty is not only in the outcome, but in the intention. A kiss pressed upon a loved one is beautiful, yes—but so too is a kiss sent into emptiness, for it is the soul declaring, “I am alive, I am capable of love, I give.” The air becomes witness, and the spirit is enriched by the act itself. It is not utility that makes such gestures powerful, but their purity.

History and legend teach us much of this truth. When soldiers marched to war, countless sweethearts and wives would stand at the train station, blowing kisses into the air as the trains departed. Many of those kisses never found their way to returning lips, for the men were lost in battle. Yet those moments live in memory, immortalized in photographs and stories. The kiss, though unanswered, was still beautiful—it was hope made visible, devotion embodied in a fleeting gesture.

Even in the realm of faith, this idea endures. Think of the prayers whispered by saints and ordinary souls, words cast upward into silence, not knowing if they will be answered. Like kisses to the air, such prayers are still beautiful, for they reveal the sincerity of the heart. The universe itself seems to honor such offerings, for they elevate the soul even if no reply is heard.

Barrymore’s phrase also suggests that beauty often resides in the act of giving without expectation. To send a kiss into the air is to say: “This moment is enough. My love exists, and that alone is beautiful.” This stands against a world obsessed with results, where love is too often weighed against return or reward. Her words remind us that love, in its truest form, is radiant even when unseen.

The lesson, then, is clear: do not restrain the small gestures of affection, thinking them wasted if unseen. Smile at the empty room, write letters you may never send, blow kisses into the air. These are acts that sanctify the heart and keep it supple. The one who dares to love freely, without fear of futility, lives more fully than the one who withholds, waiting always for certainty.

Therefore, let Drew Barrymore’s wisdom guide you: “Kisses, even to the air, are beautiful.” Remember that beauty lies not only in reception but in expression, not only in results but in the courage to give. Live with such openness, and you will find that even the air around you becomes luminous, filled with the sweetness of your own unguarded love.