Love like Water this Valentine’s Week

Love like Water this Valentine’s Week

Imagine surfing your way into Valentine’s Day on your own massive wave of love. Waking up this morning, why not take a moment and connect with your core strengths? You might recall positive moments from last week when your strengths showed up. Or you might write down some positive goals for your week ahead.

You have, (actually we all have), phenomenal potential. And like water, the intention with which we start each day may manifest as a ride of vibrancy, joy, and creativity… or a last crash into a shoreline of despair. Easy choice – joy or despair?  I know life isn’t always that simple…

Swimming off the west coast of Costa Rica a few years ago, I experienced up close and uncomfortably, the true power of unexpected waves. Although this part of the world is known for its surfing, I was swimming (not surfing) in a calm ocean when suddenly, everything changed…I was caught in a 12-foot wave! When I sensed the wave, I popped my head up and I saw, way back beach-side, my husband was jumping up and down, franticly trying to catch my attention. I gestured to him “stay back… I’ll ride this out”. I am not sure if he heard me, but my hand motioned a clear sign “I’m ok”… although my inside voice was saying… “I hope so”.

You may know already that waves come in sets of 7. I knew that if I stayed out in the deep part of the ocean, and managed my panic, I could wait until the set was completed and then head safely to shore. It’s strange how time stands still in these types of situations. My inside voice said, “I should have noticed no one else was swimming today!”…But then I told myself “breathe… float… breathe… float.” I did finally experience the smaller 7^th wave, and like a little tuna, I swam as fast as I could to shore. I was still thrown by the wave onto the beach with my swimming goggles lens popped out, along with other things. I was grateful to be alive and well.

Life comes our way sometimes like an unexpected, too-powerful wave. In those moments, we can let our fight-or-flight nervous system take over or down-regulate with love and compassion.

Love may be like water. In conflict, we can ride out misunderstandings, and stay in the deep waters of compassion… and take time for resolution. (7 big breaths in and out, some compassionate self-talk, some compassionate reflection for the other, and a reminder of big-picture loving intention).

Quite possibly one of life’s greatest gifts may be to gain the ability to sense a loving perspective in everyone and in every situation.

Simply by slowing down in tough conversations, we create space for better outcomes. That day in Costa Rica, I floated and waited patiently for the 7-wave sequence to resolve. Imagine if we could float in times of conflict and consider each other more every day. Imagine if, in every relationship, love could be revealed.

Did you know that anger is a defence mechanism? The emotion of anger is simply a cover-up of our own vulnerability.

So yes, the next time you are angry, ask yourself “what is the vulnerability exposed in the story I’m experiencing?” Often, we hold themes of invisibility, unlovability, insecurity, fear, lack of trust, and perfectionism… this list can grow like the powerful energy in a rogue wave—a freak, the monumental story of an unresolved past (your’s or someone else’s)… which may be best left in the archives of our families’ multi-generational histories. And we often get swamped for no reason at all. We are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Float, breathe, float.

Did you know we are all mostly made up of water?  That’s right… 55% of the female body and 60% of the male body is just water. And think about it… energy moves in water… sound travels fastest in water because water particles are dense… what if love is just like water?  Moving… fast…  and sometimes a little bit dense. “-)

The dense part is that when we wake up every morning, we don’t realize that deep inside of us, our own natural state is LOVE.  A baby is born often in the Moro reflex. At birth, a baby’s arms are often wildly stretched out with a newborn cry to us all… “I am here, I am love”. What if …

You are the essence of love in action.

You are loved and supported every day.

What will you do with all that love today?

Why not love like a Costa Rican Wave?

Surf’s Up!

Jo-Anne

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