#ihavedonelove

[wonderfulyou]

@island.yoga ❤ @oneoeight.tv magic! Took @jenpastiloff class in our Luna Shala today: Choosing Love Over Fear. Find it on www.oneoeight.com soon! "How bold one gets when one is sure of being loved" - Jen has repeated this quote so many times this trip and every time I hear it I get goosebumps. How bold one gets when one is sure of being loved. There is so much truth in this. When we feel supported and held a whole new dimension of magic opens up in our lives. Right now, as you are, can you feel it? The love present in your life? Take a moment to focus on the people that love you. The ones you can lean on. The ones that are there telling you everything is going to be okay even when you think it's not. The ones that make all of this worth it. It doesn't matter if you can think of one person or one hundred - feel it. Wrap yourself up in their love. Dwell in it. Knowing this love is present in your world... What is there to worry about, really? Tag your favorite people below❤ #ihavedonelove #beautyhunter #jenpastiloff #family (at Island Yoga)

[murraytalk]

Love. #life #ihavedonelove #love #murraytalk

[mylittlealaska]

That quote I posted before...

While some days I completely hate social media, I have found some awesome people on there, and find links to writings that I wouldn’t see otherwise.  And that post that Menna wrote, that I quoted from, was awesome.  In the past few years, I’ve actively tried to make choices that turn towards love--which may sound silly, or obvious, but it’s not what we are really taught growing up.  Or maybe it’s just not our natural disposition--at least not mine.  I’m often skeptical, and worried, and self-conscious--maybe even a little paranoid-- and I react to things by looking through those lenses more often than I like. I take the actions of others more personally than I should; and worry what people are thinking even though I know that really, they aren’t thinking of me.  But it can be easy to be defensive, to react aggressively, or protectively, assuming the worst and basing my reaction on that.  I don’t want to be made fun of, or look silly, or eight million other little stupid worries that hit my brain in the midst of a situation.

A long, long time ago I vowed to myself to never again be embarrassed for caring about someone.  I wouldn’t again be made to feel like it was a weakness to think I loved someone; I didn’t want to try to hide my feelings again, or feel ashamed for how I felt when it wasn’t really under my control.  For a while, I was pretty good about it; that was back in college, though, when my application of the word “love” was intended for very specific situations and people.  

These days, my concept of love has expanded, and evolved, and it’s been a while since I thought of that specific vow, even though I’ve come back right around to it.  So many times, with so many different people, we’re faced with the choice to be safe, to chalk someone up as an asshole or an idiot (I seem to particularly use the word “douchebag” with the people I struggle the most with) and to move on while keeping a strong handle on our identity and emotions.  It’s easy that way.  What is hard for me, though, when I’m struggling with someone, when I’m frustrated with how they are treating me, or ignoring me, or walking all over me, is to choose the option of “love”.  To put myself aside and choose whatever it is that is an attempt (not always successful, I’ll admit) to show them love, or give them the space to live without the imposition of my negative assumptions at least.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but I haven’t yet regretted it when I’ve done it.  (Admittedly, there are some people that I’m just not THAT big enough to “choose love” for.  I try to “choose vague honesty and avoidance” with a few souls that continuously drive me batty...and I’m okay with that.  I’m “choosing love”... of my own personal sanity! That line between showing love and letting someone walk all over you and bully you is a fine one, for sure)

There have been quite a few people over the past few months that have popped up and made me think about this; who have put me in a position, however brief, where I could say “f%^$ them” and walk away, or dig a little deeper and turn towards them and offer up something kind.  Well, to be honest, sometimes I haven’t been able to turn towards them... but I just at least don’t walk away just yet.  

Life is a work in progress.  Part of my work is learning how to get better and better at choosing love out of the options that present themselves in situations. I think Menna really nailed it with this: “When I get to the end of my life and I ask one final question... What have I done?  Let my answer be... I have done love.”

I mean, when I get to the end of my life, we all know I won’t be asking such a profound question, but it’s sure a good way to think as we go along living... Let’s do love.  Not for what we get out of it, so much as just to have more love out there in the world.  It may be a lost skill if things keep going as they are.