Love - A word full of life!

Love is a word that can be chosen. A little like when we choose one’s life partner, or a friend. When it is a voluntary act and not a coincidence.

Love is a generic word. A word that transcribes feelings, emotions or people or things. Already, we hit a difference, right?

I remember when I was working as a social worker, I once said to a lady whose work as a childminder was not convincing me at all: “You tell me you love children. I, on my side, love choucroute (French dish). Both imply different responsibilities. Could you develop a bit more please?"

A 'must do' exercise in life coaching is to work on life values. It goes with defining the words the person chooses. What love is for you may be different from what it is for your neighbour. What freedom is for you might be something else for your partner etc.

Beginning to discover what the meaning of the word is for you is a clearer starting point. Love is a life choice.

A young adult was telling me the other day, "oh yeah, good to talk about love, though withdrawing violence and aggressivity which is within us is not possible! It is in us!"

Yes, of course yes! All is in us! Yes, of course yes, we can choose, at least partially, our emotions, feelings and their impacts on us and on others.

Any emotion can emerge from us. We feel them with different intensity depending who we genetically are, who we have become in relation with our environments, which events we have been through, people we have known, etc.

Aggression, hate, rage are in us the same way that love, gentleness and patience are.

This is the reason why I am talking about voluntary choice.

Anger and rage create emotions that lock someone up and hurt the body and mind.

Peace, love, patience and acceptance heal and enrich.

One is no more natural than the others. They all are part of our being.

I do not like talking about negative or positive emotions. They are in us anyway.

It's better to recognise them than judge them. Recognition allows detachment.

We are not always in a state of love, but we can choose to be when anger takes over - there are tools for this.

Is there a day when we are all ‘fixed’ for good? I do not believe so.

It takes practice, time and will.

Have a great week!