Day 100 - Spread the Word

The 100 Days of Love has been a great experience for me. I have learned so much about love and the many different qualities. There is so much power in love... and that power has a much more lasting effect than hate or fear. I was talking to my dad the other day about what it takes to make changes in the world. We talked about how awareness is just the first step. I hope by doing this blog many of you have become more aware of love and how to give it, I know it has for me. The next step in making change is doing something. That is why I did this blog... I wanted to do something, and I wanted to do something bigger than myself. My final challenge to you all in the 100 Days of Love is to go and do something bigger than yourself. Make a difference in the lives of those around you.

I would also like to ask you all to share with us the difference that 100 days of love has made in your life. This can be done via email ( 100daysoflove@gmail.com ) or by simply commenting below.

Day 99 - The Big Give

Oprah is doing something right now that she calls "The Big Give." She gives $100,000 to people with the instructions that they must use it to help as many people as possible, and they cannot use any on themselves. The person who is able to help the most people is rewarded one million dollars. This got me thinking. If I had $100,0000 what would I do to help people? What could I do to really reach out and touch others and make a difference in their lives? So I pose the same question to you all. What would you do if given that opportunity?

Day 98 - Physical Touch

I had an interesting experience in one of my classes today. Without going into all the details, I learned a very important lesson about the power of touch. We did an exercise where we talked about the emotions of another class member. We stood behind them with our hands on their shoulders and talked as if we were them. As I participated the depth of care and concern about my classmates increased dramatically. I thought about how the activity would have been different had we not stood behind and had the physical contact. I know I would not have felt the depth of what others said. There is power in being physically connected to another in a caring way. Some of us need that power of human touch to feel the love others have to share. This can come in the form of a hug, handshake, or just putting your hand on another's shoulder. Let others FEEL the love and care you have for them.

Day 97 - Optimism

There are so many challenging and unhappy things in our lives begging for our attention. The more we give it our attention, the more of it we notice. The more we notice the negative, the less capable we are to see the good and spread love. Let's all have an optimistic outlook on life. My optimistic thought for the day: All the snow my area has been getting lately will help fill the resevoirs and help get us out of the drought.

Day 96 - Purposeful Sorrow

I was watching the funeral of a man I deeply respected today. His daughter was speaking about his life about when he lost his sweet wife a couple of years ago. She spoke of his overwhelming grief and how he expressed this to those around him. The words she spoke next really hit me. She said that this experience (and I paraphrase) carved out a deeper well of compassion and love in him as he made purpose out of the suffering. It made me think about how I react to the trials in my life. I must admit, I often resort to upset and bitter feelings more often than I would like. However, there is great truth that we can allow our hardest trials and sorrows to deepen our capacity for empathy and love.

Day 95 - Loving Our Bodies

Today I went to a yoga class, and one of the basic premises of yoga is tuning yourself into what your body is trying to tell you. The instructor even encouraged us to thank our bodies for the power of movement. Every ligament, joint, tendon, socket, down to the last cell, is a miracle. We forget sometimes what exactly goes into even the smallest twitch. We should do everything possible to be grateful for and take care of our bodies. It sounds trite but it really behooves us to eat well, sleep and excercise. (AND STAY THE HECK AWAY FROM TANNING BEDS!!!) This is different than loving oneself. This is taking care of our bodies so our bodies can take care of us and the people that we LOVE.

Day 94 - Prejudice?

My dad sent me an email yesterday of some thoughts he has had lately. I thought I would share it with all of you as it is very powerful and an important element of love.

"Why is there prejudice in the world? I was talking to Marzia, one of my assistants whose family escaped the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan when she was just 5 years old, about an article in the most recent National Geographic about one of the several traditional tribes of people in Afghanistan that is considered inferior by all the other tribes and has been for centuries. They are descended from the horde of Genghis Khan who intermixed with the locals. Because she shares features with these people although none of her siblings do, she was teased a lot as a little girl. The words to the song from the musical South Pacific came to mind:

You have to be taught to hate and fear!
You have to be taught from year to year
It has to be drummed in your sweet little ear.
You have to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a different shade.
You have to be carefully taught.

You have to be taught before it’s too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate.
You have to be carefully taught.

TIL: Prejudice is a silly, irrational behavior that serves only to make one’s group feel elite only to itself. It is divisive, and along with religion, causes much hate and alienation in the world. Anti-love.

To do: Make a list of my prejudices and analyze them. Examine how they get in the way of love.

I am fortunate to have friends from many different backgrounds so I can expand my ability to love all."