I love you.
Will you accept that, no ducking, no side stepping, no avoidance, no over thinking it, no cynicism — and love me back?
You are one of my readers; this gives us a connection.
It’s not perfect, adequate, even exemplary, but it’s something, and it’s good.
The other day I hugged a friend, warmly, a little longer than usual. I said, “I love you.” I meant it. It was simple but good. I greeted another with enthusiasm and asked him to go to coffee to discuss a book we have both read. Another sweet one I complimented and told this, “You are precious cargo, of inestimable value.” That was my daughter.
What the heck? It is good, to warm up the planet, in healthy ways, by offering endearments, loving family and friends, expressing our affection simply.
This is the thing — and we all have such a hard time of it — crossing over to each other, being warm, personable, gracious, expressing love, just saying it.
A friend called me today from the East Coast. He is a tough guy, military, big — but funny, and easy to relate to. In an asside he said he thought there were piece of me all over the world, the people I have previously connected with.
Interesting. When he hung up he said, “I love you.”
I thought about it — in Japan, South Africa, Nicargaua, England, Brazil, Maine, Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, California — there are people who I have interacted with, with warmth, even if only briefly and so they are a small part of me, and me of them.
I wish there were more. I wish we all were open to more friends, more warmth, more connection, more talk, more love.
Hear is the deal: I need love, I want love, I crave love — we all do. And yet we all — including myself — suffer from some forms of isolationism, some vaious and sundry fears of each other, some relational cynicisms, some intrinsic shynesses and thus some cautiousness, some coldness, and therefore some lonliness.
What to do?
Love more. Simply choose to love more.
We can do this. We can reach out to each other. We can even get over our tendency to withdraw, to be cool, to be cold, in part, by making brave choices to love more people openly, freely, warmly, affectionately.
While some old lovers cannot be regained, we can always seek out and find new friends — precious ones waiting in the wings — and we can tell them if we will, “I love you.”
This will warm up the place.
Thrive! 