Love the Action or Love the Feeling?

Love the Action or Love the Feeling?

I was listening to a podcast recently that talked about love and the efficiency of it. "Is love enough?" the host asked Quinlan Walther, the interviewee. She asked, love the verb or the feeling?

This sparked endless thoughts in my mind.

The feeling of love is so easy. You can love your barista, a fictional character in a book, and essentially anyone and anything.

But love the action is a daily choice you make to put in effort. Love the action is traceable, physical, quantifiable, visible. Love the action is not easy.

To me, love the action is:

Love the action is how you treat me when you are not overcome with feelings of love.

Love is listening to me when I talk, with your body, mind, and soul. Sitting through, facing me, phone down, until I'm finished talking.

Love is knowing my coffee order.

Love is showing enthusiasm doing something you have absolutely zero interest in, solely because it is making me happy.

Love is noticing and verbally appreciating all the little things I do for you on a daily basis.

Love is taking care of me when I'm sick.

Love is asking if I need anything, consistently.

Love is reading my blog, because you want to know more about the thoughts floating in my brain.

Love is treating the people I love with kindness, because you love me.

Love is always reaching out your hand to hold my hand, all the time.

Love is noticing the little shifts in my mood.

Love is to care, big and small. 

Love the action, to me, is a daily commitment to learn how to love me the way I feel loved, and making intentional decisions to do so.

Love the action, when reciprocated, is the most fulfilling feeling in the world.