Valentine’s Day is my kind of day. Not just because of the proliferation of chocolate or the explosion of hearts cut out of construction paper. No, I love Valentine’s Day because it is a day devoted to loving hard.
I firmly believe that small acts of love and kindness change the world, one moment at a time. One person at a time. I believe in the intimacy of words and the poetry of those small tokens of affection we bestow on friend, foe, and stranger alike.
I understand the allure of random acts of kindness. I appreciate the nobility in gestures big and small offered with no expectation of recognition or reward. But while it is nice to pay for someone’s dinner, to pay for their coffee, or to give anonymously, if we’re honest with ourselves, that’s often the easy way out. We can pat ourselves on the back for doing something good without having to get involved.
But if I’ve learned anything over the last 41 years, it is that happiness begins with the interactions we have with each other every day. And more often than not, what people really need is not a 5 dollar cup of coffee, but 5 minutes of human connection.
While our close relationships with friends and family are paramount to our happiness, it is equally true that our random interactions with strangers and acquaintances make us feel part of a bigger community.
A communion of souls who belong to each other.
When we belong to each other, it is so much easier to shoulder your burdens, to face your fears, to push through your struggles because you know you are not alone.
When we belong to each other, it is so much harder to disparage, to dismiss, to covet, to hate.
When we belong to each other, that is when we start having conversations instead of arguments.
When we belong to each other, that is when we start to change the world.
What if we all decided to be intentional with our love? To share it with everyone we meet instead of a select few. To remember that love isn’t in the grand gesture but in those small moments when we share a piece of our soul with another human being and they have the courage to share theirs right back.
To realize that our everyday interactions have the power to change one person’s day. One person’s heart.
I hope you’ll accept the challenge to spread love this February (click on the picture below for a link to download your free Love Hard calendar). They are simple tasks but they require your intention and your presence. Loving hard is more than bestowing anonymous acts of kindness. Loving hard is about making a connection with the human beings around you.
Loving hard is about saying “I see you. You matter.”
Imagine what we can do if we all love each other hard…
Click on the picture to download your free copy!
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#LoveHard
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1 Comment
Wow! This is a fabulous idea. I love your inspiring words… “And more often than not, what people really need is not a 5 dollar cup of coffee, but 5 minutes of human connection.” SO TRUE! We all think we are so connected because of social media, blah, blah, but I sense so much loneliness in the world. So much hunger for TRUE connection. I hope your challenge catches on!!! Thank you for sharing.