“I had to remember about open, blind, knowing, unreserved, unambiguous, unconditional love–naked love–before any of it could make sense again. I had to find it in the many places it hid, drag it out in the open and wrap it all around me, wear it around the house, feel its imprint on my skin, weave it into my hair, let it rain down wet and fresh from the sky before I could feel it, share it, be comfortable in its grasp, and understand, finally, what it all meant, at least this part of it, at least today.”
~ Laurie Frankel, The Atlas of Love
Sometimes none of it makes sense. Hell in a handbasket comes to mind. The rage is too blinding, the hurt too deep, the apathy thick as sludge in a drought. We can’t seem to pull up, and the thought of sharing the quickly evaporating drop of love that remains is more than we can possibly muster.
But the thing about love is that it defies mathematics, multiplying as we draw it down, ballooning out as we suck down the reserves.
Love is a muscle, babe. You use it or your lose it. You push it out to pull it in. You give it to grow it.
“For us there is only the trying.
The rest is none of our business.”
~ TS Eliot
Today, when the reservoir feels about dried up, take a deep breath. (Try one more.) Find your one beautiful thing for the day and wear it around the house like a velveteen cloak. Breathe it in and know that you are not depleted, only distracted by the drought. Breathe it in, feel it between your toes, hide inside. You’re never too old for a blanket fort.
Then go out. Out of yourself, out of your cloak of beauty and love, out of your scarcity, and push some love like the drug it is. Be the dealer.
And notice how your water level rises.
Time to love louder, even when your voice is hidden.
“The very act of resolving to love, no matter what our emotional state, is the crucible and school of love.”
~ The Monks of New Skete, In the Spirit of Happiness
Tucked happily into the gorgeous hills and woods of Wisconsin, I write about life, faith, and the humor that both require. 
Tales From the Nexus 
Ooo! Love Eliot and love the New Skete folks. “In the Spirit of Happiness” is one I come back to again and again. My mom bought it for me for Christmas the year it came out.
Solid stuff. Thanks for the reminders.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve gone back to it a few times too. 😊
LikeLike