Love is Everything.  This is what has been on my mind since we last chatted. It has been a very long time since our last chat.; longer than I would have liked.  My attention has been on other things such as the topic of love.  It all began with seeing this movie in June when I saw this documentary on the life of Fred Rogers.

You remember Mr. Rogers, right?  If you are too young to remember him, he had a show that was beloved by many spanning several generations.

This documentary will steal your heart.  Why you say?  Well because it shows just how much love was front and center for Fred Rogers.  One could say that he had a love of children but I would say that ultimately he really had a love of life.

Seeing the film touched my heart deeply. I walked out of the Somerville Theater with tears still in my eyes and a deep sense of gratitude for so much in my life.

Fred Rogers had an interest in speaking the truth about topics such as racism that weren’t being talked about openly at the time.  He found his own unique way to bring controversial topics into the light for people to speak openly about; always with the focus of bringing people together over love.

With love on my mind this summer, I took to reading these books about my favorite topic.

My heart has been cracked wide open these days.  I find myself tearful often and not always for sad reasons.  Mostly because life has felt more precious.

In the film Mr. Rogers states….

“Love is at the root of everything…all learning and relationships….love or the lack of it.”

No truer words have been spoken.

That statement reminded me of a chat we had after my friend Fran passed Last Words. When I had the intimate realization in January 2016 that life is all about

LOVE

That realization came again almost a year to the date when my grandmother, my love, passed away.  We had another discussion on love came just after her death It is What it is: The Art of Lettng Go

LOVE IS EVERYTHING

The energy of the heart taps into the meaning of all that is worthy in life.  I often find myself in conversations with clients trying to guide them towards their heart.  Most of the time this comes with some challenge; both because there may be an intellectual defense but mostly because it feels so scary.

To love unabashedly means that you open yourself up to being vulnerable.  There are no guarantees in life.  When you live from the heart you are basically risking potentially being let down or hurt.  This is what keeps walled off with a layer of protection.   I know first hand what this is like.  I have done this in various ways in my life and it always has gotten me anywhere but sad, angry and frustrated.

What drew me to begin these chats with ou was reading about the research on positive psychology.  My whole being began to feel light and tingly thinking that I could base my career path on helping people access happiness rather than focusing constantly on the pain from the past.

I found Barbara Frederickson’s work along the way. I then had  the pleasure of seeing her speak three years ago on her book, Love 2.0.  This summer I picked up the book and just recently finished it.  She writes about her research on love including researching the Buddhist meditation practice, loving kindness meditation.

Of love’s affect on the body’s health and well-being, Frederickssen writes

“Simply put, your body was designed for love.”

AWWWWWW

Be still my heart.

Doesn’t that just touch the deepest part of you??!

Fredrickson shares how love opens us up to seeing so much more of life and its experiences than we could previously.  This does not need to be experienced only through grandiose versions of love but, more importantly, through experiencing micro-moments of love and positivity.  She shares that the key is seeing that positivity is always available; in turn love is always present.  It is about collecting more moments of pure joy and love.   Frederickson calls this “positivity resonance” and speaks to the ratio at which we are experiencing

We often base our happiness on external resources.  We believe that happiness comes from experiencing love through partnership, validation from our boss, consumerism, etc.  We don’t believe that we can actually draw more love into our lives by first experiencing the love that is available to us in every moment.

Love requires that we open up to trusting and believing in what is not clear and concrete.  It requires that we tap into the source of energy within our heart and follow our gut to allow life to unfold organically.  Love does not live in the rational; in fact love is often quite irrational.  It is raw and messy and unknown.

“Simply put, love changes your mind.”

Frederickson states as she continues to discuss the affects focusing on positivity has on the mind.

As we chat, tears well up in my eyes because this topic touches that space inside that runs deep.  As I sit here in the cafe I can feel my heart so open in a way that it typically is not.  I feel myself these days experiencing more moments of positivity because my focus is being drawn continuous to that which makes me smile.

Opening up your heart is not easy because it means that you are allowing yourself to be vulnerable.  But there really is no other way to experience true love.

As we end our chat, with tears in my eyes, I am reminded of this song by Louie Armstrong.

Yes it truly is a wonderful world.

Cheers to feeling the love!

https://youtu.be/CWzrABouyeE

Want a little support and guidance along the way?  Contact Me and we will get you on your road to health and happiness!