THBM:
“As it has been said:
Love and a cough
cannot be concealed.
Even a small cough.
Even a small love.”
– Anne Sexton
How appropriate during this time of COVID-19 that I find a quote about the similarity of love and a cough. We hide so much of our true feelings in our daily interactions with others. But if we pay attention, we can see the consequences of real love in our own behaviors and in the behaviors of others that always point to the many truths that confirm or contradict our words. For instance, when you observe any couple for a day the truth of love is easy to witness. In truly loving couples, you see an exchange of respect in conversations and ideas. They respect one another by allowing each to express their ideas and they honor the ideas with their attention. You also see a continual volley of loving interactions going back and forth all day long. Whether it is loving banter, little notes, or soft kisses from behind, there are always constant loving exchanges in the truly loving couple. And you see the ability to coexist in loving silence. There is never a need to fill their space with noise for the sake of noise, the presence of the other is all that is required to remind the other of love. Most importantly, when pain or suffering surfaces in their lives, they know what being “one” means. It means the partner’s pain is important. It means we become of service. It means an excuse to love more. I am love. I am joy. I am so very good.
