Well there's a rose in the fisted glove
And the eagle flies with the dove
And if you can't be with the one you love honey
Love the one you're with, Love the one you're with,
Love the one you're with, Love the one you're with.
Crosby, Stills, and Nash
It's the day after Valentine's Day. Whether this brought feelings of loneliness or feelings of connection, celebrating love does not just need to happen on one day. I recently had a conversation with a friend-we were remarking on how easy it can be to focus on the lacks in our lives; in particular how tempting it is to focus on one kind of love as the primary source of self worth, meaning, and satisfaction.
We imagine romantic love as the love that will heal our wounds, end our isolation, and blanket us in the warmth of ceaseless security. We sometimes see only the lack of a particular kind of love, ie: romantic love, focusing on it and blocking out the flow of other sources of love. It's almost as if we are out on a hot day and we are offered cool lemonade, ice cream, a pool..but refuse because we all we can think about is how much we love to have our favorite gelato. A bit of a silly analogy...but I am having a "free to be imperfect in my writing" day.
There are many kinds of love relationships... whether you identify as gay, straight, bi, poly,curious, asexual, trans, non-binary, agender, +++, you are infinitely worthy of love and always in its flow. With Trump in power, I have recently felt disheartened (discouraged heart) at his racist, homophobic, patriarchal practices and attempts to shift public policy. I myself have been struggling with how to rebel against the oppressive practices he represents to me.
I am wondering if I can have a rebellion that begins with heart, with turning towards love. If you are feeling discouraged and alone, do you have a family member who loves you? A friend you love? Do you have a passion for trees, beekeeping, math-something that you would love to spend all day doing? A pet you love? A love, a passion that drives out dis-couragement? Do you love nature? The ocean? Can you radically love yourself? What if you could be willing to try? What if you gifted yourself a day in which you decide you will radically love and accept yourself exactly...as...you...are... now...what if you rebelled against the voices of our culture, society, families, that would try to convince you that you don't quite measure up. What if you turned towards love today? What would you do when you finished reading this blog?:)