A Gateway to Love: Gratitude
Cue the music: "You've lost that lovin' feeling...bring back that lovin' feeling..."
Remember the original Top Gun movie, and the Tom Cruise (Maverick) serenade? It’s true that love can be hard to find – love of ourselves, other people, or the world. Sometimes love feels like such an abstract concept! What does love even mean? And even when we think we know what love is, when we are low it is very difficult to feel love, hard to get into the space of love. One way to get to love that I’d like to share with you, is by reaching for gratitude.
Why do we want to be in love, or in the feeling of love? When we are in that vibration, we experience being in flow with the universe. You can feel it! The traffic lights turn green as you approach them, people smile out of nowhere, and other people’s laughter is like music. Or, sometimes it’s our own surprising reaction, like witnessing someone dancing or another act of joy or service: “I love that!”
…we experience being in flow with the universe.
Sometime (many times!) we are thrown curveballs out of nowhere, like a conflict in which we react and take things personally. I experienced a situation in which a person performed a service for a group that I’m in. I felt disregarded and wronged in a number of ways, and my ego kicked up in high gear. I understood this person was doing their best, and I still felt wronged. After some email conversation I came to appreciate how this person had really gone out of their way to perform the service, and then worked to make things right for me. During our conversation I connected with them in spirit to ask for their forgiveness, which brought a beautiful feeling of peace. It was through this healing, appreciation, and gratitude that I came to love.
There are times we all just want to be in the muck! It’s ok be there as long as you need.
There are times we all just want to be in the muck! It’s ok be there as long as you need. When this happens to me, I apologize to those around me and take alone time to recover. When we are ready to climb out of the hole, we can try on our gratitude hat. Maybe you can wear it for a little while. Can you make a list of what you are grateful for? We all have things in life we appreciate: other people, things (your favorite music or food), nature, or ourselves. Appreciation and gratitude are “thank you” feelings from the heart, when you really mean it. From there, it is “put one foot in front of the other”! Not everything is “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” but this can be one formula that works for you.
What is the reward for all this work? With practice, it becomes easier to get to love, and to be in love. For me, love is like a virtual hug. My spirit extends from my heartspace to connect and exchange with people, animals, and nature. Maybe love feels differently to you.I believe that love is acceptance of people and things in your heart. Love is feeling reciprocity and the oneness of all. By getting to love, we are lifting all of humanity. The effect is both personal and global, I know that sounds big - it is!
