Practice

african couple in loveYou learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving.
—Anatole France

How do you practice love as a discipline?

3 thoughts on “Practice”

  1. Today’s COMPASS struck a chord. Love is not only a feeling but “actionable.”
    Erich Fromm wrote a book some 70 years ago on the subject of “The Art of Loving.” I think it is still in print. He describes four ways in which we go about it:
    Care, Understanding, Respect, Responsibility. Of course there is much more, but this seems to hold up over time – as roots to long-lasting relationships, and places to look when things get rocky. Kudos to those good souls who identify and send these daily inspirations – dare I say, lovingly? Yup, I think that’s it.

  2. Disciplining love? It is a provocative idea. One usually thinks of love as free-flowing and unregulated. However, I see the point of the question. Without considering that love must be shown and acted upon to another person, a community cause or a group of friends, it can wither and droop and eventually die. Reminding yourself what it takes to keep the flame of love alive is very necessary.

  3. I’m practicing loving myself by using self-care: doing my spine exercises, using my emWave, brushing my teeth, reading, keeping to-do lists short, etc.

    I’m practicing loving the world by regularly focusing on the positive side of it.

    I’m practicing loving other humans by trying to be kind and supportive of the people in CLF. I’m also trying to connect more to people at “work.” I’m still trying to figure out how to be more loving towards my family. I know arguing less would be a great first step; I’m less sure as to how to actually do that.

    I’m practicing loving my dog by learning more about her language and her needs and trying to meet those needs better.

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