Moments of love

Photo: Rod Long @ Unsplash

Given the physiological necessity for acts of love (see Dr. Mindy Pelz extract), and the various ways that love can be demonstrated (it’s not always soft and squidgy - sometimes an act of love can be tough, can repair damage, can show you something or someone is important or valuable) - let’s get curious about what an act of LOVE might be for you - and within your family.

I invite you to write down all the ways that in the last week - an arbitrary 10 will do! - you have felt a sense of love or being loved by another. For me, that list might include:

• My daughter starting the day with ‘I love you Mummy’ when we woke up this morning. This is rare. I will savour it.

• A warm embrace with a neighbour who is experiencing something difficult. 20 second hugs are said to send our oxytocin levels rocketing.

• Expressing something I am finding difficult to a friend about someone who I love. How to repair the difficulty came into sharp focus.

• Clearing up the kitchen at the end of a long day - I know we all function better when there is space to move around before school.

• My partner calling me (he’s away this week) to catch up on our day. I was thought of and I felt the connection.

• Stroking a cat that had decided to have a snooze on the bonnet of my car. It slowed me down.

What would your list include this week?

And in what ways do you need, or could seek out, some moments of LOVE in the coming week?

Are your needs emotional, physical, psychological, spiritual or something else? You might like to refer back to the question of NEEDS from May - where you can find some readings and exercises to establish what your NEEDS are this month. (You’ll find all months from 2023 available on the membership page this month.)

How would your needs be met by acts of loving kindness?

If you are struggling to remember moments of LOVE in the last week, or are not sure what you need in the coming week - just begin to notice where you can spot love in your day to day. Small acts, big demonstrations, high emotion - or gentle sways of comfort. Just begin to notice what loving - and being loved - might feel like, and the impact it has. Just by the noticing, you might draw a little more your way.