The holidays are a catalyst for one of the greatest forces for good we have. In the midst of the holiday season, even in the throes of social divisiveness and a continuing Covid pandemic, love gains a foothold. Through all the stress and busyness, love finds a way to sift into our lives and help us find a little peace.
What’s really great about love is that the more you give, the more you get. Love has a multiplier effect that reflects back on the giver.
If you are one of those “grinch” sort of people who has a hard time getting enough motivation to step out of your Scrooge-mentality, read on.
Love Feels Good
When you love others, when you give of yourself, there is a joy that radiates from within that you cannot produce through any other means. When we love one another, we multiple the happiness. The person you give love feels joyous at being loved while at the same time you feel the joy of giving. It is a fact that being kind and loving boosts serotonin and releases endorphins within you.
Think back to the last time you watched someone open a present that you gave them. As you watched the smiles and delight on their face, how did you feel? Did you notice that burst of jubilance within your body?
Love is Engaging
Love fosters better relationships. Add love to a stale relationship, it will improve. Infuse love into a new relationship, it will deepen. I am not just talking about romantic love here. It’s easy to give your love in a romantic relationship because the attraction chemicals in your brain drive the desire to give of yourself. Loving a stranger or an enemy may seem counterintuitive, but try it and watch the transformation happen.
Love is Contagious
The more you give love, the more love you spread. As it spreads, it has an exponential effect in growth. As you plant the seed, it grows. Be the instigator of the greatest power on earth. Pass it on.
Being so prolific, it will eventually get back to you. It may not return to you with one iteration. It may not return to you with two iterations. Or 7 or 8, or 100. But it will return to you.
Love is a practice. You start with a feeling, but the actual practice of love is an action. The axiom “love is a verb” is a great truth. What can you do this year to start exercising your love muscles? What steps can you take to make the practice of love a priority in your life?
It is my wish that you find and promote your loving nature. Whatever holiday you celebrate, may it be joyful and may you know the happiness of love throughout the year.
Copyright 2021, Monica Nelson
