One of my summer adventures, that I can’t really own, were secret messages. Secret in that I never discovered the artist. Every few days a message was left, not just for me, but for the world. But once I saw
It started with love. And that’s what hooked me! What did the artist mean? Were they expressing their love for mankind? Their love for money? That they loved creating art? That love makes the world go round?
I say “love” is the beginning and end of all things. It is our driving force. If we chose to live we have to cover our basic needs: food, shelter, warmth, water. We could survive, right? But life was meant to be lived!
Then we discover things we enjoy or “love” and those things become part of our needs. I love chocolate and can’t imagine living my life without that dark, rich, goddess. That will never change even though I’m on the FODMAP eating plan. Chocolate is on my naughty list but I continue to eat chocolate bars, I just avoid cakes, brownies, cookies, ice cream, icing….. Reading that list makes me want to cry again.
And then there are all of the non-essential items we love and want to be part of our lives. Running is something I love to do and need for my mental, physical and spiritual health. And, because I run, I need the stuff that supports my runs: the right shoes, wicking socks, shorts, compression leggings, lights for night-time runs, hats and visors, and, most importantly for me, the right bras with the needed support and adaptations.
I also need to create and do so through my love of writing and photography. But my primary need, like food and shelter, is to travel.
If running feeds my health, traveling feeds my soul. It allows me to discover new talents and develop my skills. I discover I have an ear for languages while visiting Paris. If I’m in a foreign (to me, that is) place long enough to really listen to the language, I will begin to understand it. It’s easier if it’s a Latin-based language but I started to understand Dutch when I was there.
Traveling introduces me to new apps, technology, and, most importantly, new people. And I LOVE when I meet and connect with a new friend during my travels. I always say, “We were already friends, we were just waiting to meet each other.”
What do those pennies mean to you?
What is love?