HOW LOVE SHOWS UP
in ways that we fail to notice
“It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of soles know
Where they are supposed to be.”
- Pat Schneider
What does love disguise itself as?
On some days it is a tiffin box, lovingly prepared, packed and placed in your bag, on other days, it is a receipt saying ‘Fees Paid’. Sometimes, it is a pat on the back or a word of praise, on others, it is critical feedback from a friend who cares.
Often, love shows up as small acts of kindness from total strangers. It takes the form of a street cat rubbing itself against your ankles, or a friendly lick from an overfriendly puppy.
Love is also sharing - time, food, ideas, strength.
Throughout our day, love floats around as tiny magical moments in the form of a smile, a warm greeting or a hug. Love finds us in words of motivation or meaningful conversations. Love challenges us to stand up for peace and justice and for those who have no voice.
Love is speaking the truth even when it's hard.
Love often comes disguised as work, in the form of people who need our kindness and patience, and situations where we can make a difference. At other times, it appears as a friendly face across the counter, providing efficient service, with a smile even. Opportunities to spread love emerge from going that extra mile to do one’s job honestly and earnestly and touch others lives in millions of small ways.
Love can be found in healthcare experts who are principled and humane, and healthcare workers who are kind and gentle. Love resides in honest decisions made by financial and manufacturing companies to transact, produce and sell ethically. Love resides in routine work done with concern and care for the other.
Love shows up in creative practices - nature, art, craft and design.
Every creation in nature demonstrates a deep love and care that have forged together creative energies to produce such spectacular designs and immense beauty. Similarly, every timeless piece of music, art and design exudes a timeless love for the craft. Love speaks through art that amplifies the voices of the marginalised through cinema, paintings, literature and poetry. Sometimes, an act of love comes in the form of sensitive design details that make your activity easy and doable, and make products and spaces friendly and accessible.
Love is in planning mechanisms, in designing and engineering for an inclusive world.
Love is in building humane habitats, and architecture and planning that cares for all species. It is in developing people-centric and nature-centric building codes and city planning bylaws. Love is taking care of natural resources and life on earth, even as we progress and urbanise. Love is in enabling comfort, access and respect to all who occupy our built environment, irrespective of social and economic class.
Love extends beyond luxury towers and gated communities to provide for those living in informal houses and rehab tenements. An act of love comes in the form of sensitive design and inclusive spaces that make activities easy and doable, and make spaces friendly and accessible.
Love is as much about what happens below the flyovers as it is about the cars that whiz past above it.
Love can be found in a society that embraces diversity, fosters a spirit of acceptance that transcends not just political boundaries but the borders of faith, language and race. Love can be found in lawmakers that deliver justice in good time and with utmost fairness, in truthful, brave journalism, and in individuals and groups working for peace and human rights.
Love can be a social structure that enables a humane world.
To spread love, one doesn’t need to constantly look for big strategies and plans. Love can be shared and received in small portions every day. Drop by tiny drop, our wounds can be healed and our hearts can overflow that warmth to others.
Love is possible. Love is easy. Let's give it a chance.
On 08 September 2023, I started my Substack newsletter ‘Spread Love, Only Love.’ Two years and 86 essays down the line, I stay steadfast in my conviction that love is the most powerful energy to change the world and words are my chosen medium to spread love. Needless to add, my writing is AI free.
Every newsletter is a labour of love; an outcome of a great deal of introspection, response to intuition, and the craft of weaving these into words. If you wish to support this mission to spread love, you can subscribe, share my writing or buy me a book.
Do leave your comments here. I would love to hear from you.
This is so peaceful to read. I can literally feel the kindness in your for the thoughts you shared and the way you write, especially about love..
My dear Minaaz, I have only recently started to delve more and more into love, its meaning and its absolute beauty ❤️...
And your essays are such inspiring echoes - they bring a moistness to the eyes and warmth to the soul ✨️ that all I can say is that you're such a beautiful messenger of the Universe ❤️
Thank you and keep spreading this joy ...