your daily rock : what would love do?

When I get irritated or “hooked” by someone else’s drama (or my own), this is the question I ask myself: What would love do?

It is sometimes hard to remember to ask it. Or perhaps we have to get through all the drama first, and then we can ask it. Maybe we just need to be heard first, or vent first, and then we can respond from a place of love.

In moments of great irritation and hurt and anger, or even when we are being hypercritical about ourselves, the question that can change everything is this one:

What would love do?

I think it would give up being right in the service of being kind.

It would step away from righteous and choose satisfied, and even sated.

It might even reach out to people who have been unkind. Yes, it would.

I think it would likely give away more than it takes. More than likely. It would be generous.

It seems possible that love would trump convenience. It would go out of its way.

Love would tell the truth in a way that could be heard and in a way that acknowledges that my truth is not necessarily yours.

It might even leave out the parts that are hurtful and unnecessary. Yes, I think it would.

Love would buoy, not bury. It would open, not close. It would reach toward, not away from. It would move into, not push against. It would create, not collapse.

It would never ridicule. Not a neighbor, a stranger, a friend, or the people of Walmart.

I’m pretty sure love would hurt sometimes. And heal other times.

I think love would make it okay to be less than perfect. And I think it would embrace you just as you are, not after you lose 20 pounds or run a marathon or get your Black Belt in karate, but right now, big hips and all.

Love would open space for other people. Oh yes it surely would.

Asking this question will clarify the next action.

Love,

(These beautifully painted rocks are created by Kim Mailhot, aka The Rock Fairy.