Send a little love.

"There is no moment, ever, when we cannot send our love to someone or something." - Caroline A. Shearer

I had a chat with my aunt tonight, about lots and lots of things. However, my favorite thing that we chatted about was love versus fear. She has a theory, that I believe wholeheartedly, that all of our actions in life are predicated on either FEAR or LOVE. I think it's a theory that every person has to test and discover for themselves why they act they way that they do. Anxiety, nervousness, distrust, jealousy. . . all of these emotions stem from a fear of some sort if you really dissect the underlying feelings and motives for each action. Love however, is the great equalizer, the great beautifier. When our actions and words towards ourselves and others are based purely on LOVE, people can tell. Likewise, when our actions and words stem from internal fear, people can tell. I might sound like a hippie when I say this, but I truly believe that love, in many different forms, is always the answer. Tough love, selfless love, gentle love, warning love, love in the form of words, love in the form of actions, love in the form of touch. . . all forms of love expressed differently.

My aunt does this thing where she, in her mind, sends a little love message to other people. She sends love, straight from her heart, to people during a speech, to people in a more intimate setting, to her kids, to herself, to friends, to anyone really. By sending love, her fears and anxiety are eased, and people's perception of her words is better. All things done with love are perceived and accepted better, I believe it. I believe that our thoughts and dreams are more palpable than we believe, and this is simply one of the many cases. When motives are pure, actions and words follow suit.

I've noticed a trend in my life, in countless different situations, that people revert to their worst selves when starved from unconditional love. I myself have experienced this, where I have done things I would have never otherwise done, simply because I felt completely alone and unloved, and acted out of fear. I've noticed at work that some residents are incredibly needy and clingy, and I believe it's because they don't have someone to love them unconditionally. They too, act of out fear. I've seen it in my family, people making poor choices, and again I believe it's because they need more love in their lives. Patient, unconditional love has a way of transforming someone, of bringing out the best parts of them and encouraging them to be better. I believe it.

Don't hold back your love. Don't be afraid to show it. And before you act, think, "Am I acting out of love, or am I acting out of fear?" Two four-letter words with very different meanings. It's something I want to work on . . . as I try, but often fail, to live purposefully and intentionally.