Thoughts of Love “It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.” – Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch post-Impressionist painter, frequently afflicted with depression, famous for not only his vivid paintings but also because he cut off his own ear, ultimately died from a self-inflicted gunshot (1853-1980) If we can recall how wondrous we felt when we were first in love, or revisiting love after having lost it, we know how all-encompassing and powerful such emotion is. In fact, there is nothing quite like the power of love, for it can motivate us to do things that we’d otherwise consider too difficult, too time-consuming, too out of our reach. Love can also make us more willing to forgive past transgressions, to overlook another’s faults and imperfections, even to give ourselves permission to try again in areas where we may have failed before. In short, love can be a powerful complement to overall healing in recovery. We should learn how to recognize its symptoms and to make as wise a use of its properties as possible. How do we do that? First, it’s important to understand that love grows when it is given unselfishly. To be perfectly frank, we can’t expect to get something in return for love. We must give it freely and without conditions, no strings attached. That is pure love. What’s ironic is that the more love we give unselfishly, the more benefit we receive from such selfless giving. It’s a perfect win-win situation. Granted, it may be difficult or nearly impossible to be able to give freely of love or to focus on much outside of our current problems, especially if we’re new to sobriety and only now trying to make our way in recovery. Patience is something that we will need to adopt, accepting that healing takes time and cannot be rushed just so we can get to a different state of mind quicker and painlessly. It simply doesn’t work that way. Still, there are things that we can do while we are on the mend from addiction and its lingering effects. We can strive to do the very best we can in all our recovery-oriented tasks and duties, to take better care of our body, mind and spirit, to continually work toward goals we deem worthwhile and are willing to put in the time and effort to achieve. By so dedicating ourselves to this process, we are gradually becoming whole once again. That leaves room for love to begin to blossom and flourish. Love isn’t only about feeling head-over-heels about a particular person. We can love mankind, nature, God or our Higher Power, pets, children, art, and almost any activity or endeavor passionately felt. Love also doesn’t require that it be something big. Even small things count when it comes to love. For example, by extending a kindness to someone in need, a neighbor who’s a shut-in that we bring a hot meal to, for example, we demonstrate generosity of spirit and good-will toward another that is a form of love. We may not immediately realize the benefit we derive from such an action, but it is there, growing inside us and radiating outward. Acting in a loving manner, we also may find that we have increased energy, enthusiasm and an increased willingness to tackle ever more challenging goals. Love, it seems, has a tendency to bring out the best in us, as it should.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 18:30:43 +0000
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