For this week’s Cool Your Green Mind Monday post, I’m borrowing a phrase from multi-platinum recording artist Pauli Carman, “get back 2 love.” This is the title of Pauli’s newest album and from the first time I saw these four simple words, they struck a chord with me.
Most of us get into the work we do out of a love for something (I think). Maybe a love for people, maybe for animals or the natural world, maybe for music, maybe for math.
But, many of us also get derailed from this love when we run up against the people or problems that oppose our creative and protective inclinations (i.e. we start getting into fight mode instead of love mode), or when we get caught up in the matter of making money for our efforts.
Even if this has happened to you, however, love is a resilient thing. If it really was there to start with, we can often get back to it with a little focused attention and reflection.
Love is fragile, in that it needs care and attention to keep it growing and evolving and leading the way. I like that old statement, “the opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference.” But love is also strong in that it can lay dormant for years, decades, or perhaps even lifetimes before the proper attention and environment come along again and tease it out of its cave, stronger than ever.
I think the societal leaders you think of, the stars you love, the people who you look up to, do what they do and got where they got out of a strong love for something.
If we want to create positive change in our lives as well, I think the most effective way to do so is to identify, think about, and keep our focus on our love.
And if we lose our way in long or fruitless battles or extraneous cares, we should step back (as I discussed last week) and get back to love.
It is not just about creating something positive, of course. It is not just the end product that is important. It is every step, every experience along the way. The process is also very important.
If we are agonizing or suffering over the process every day, how can the end result justify that, and how can we fool ourselves into thinking that we are really working for something based on love?
If we are working for something based on love, love is in the process all the way through.
So, if you’ve lost your love along the way somewhere (and you can identify that you have), don’t fret or worry, but find your way back to love.