This Little Love of Mine

I visit coffee shops quite frequently to write. Sometimes, as I break away from my zone, I observe the people and conversations around me. As I scan the room, I see friends catching up and work meetings underway. I find some people sipping their coffee, contently in solitude while others are waiting for their other party to arrive. Among the various people, it becomes easy to spot those that are with a loved one- the couples. They distinguish themselves from the rest with only a light in their eyes, an airiness in the way they carry themselves, and a discernible love for life in their demeanor. Next Sunday is Valentine’s Day, and as boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, husbands, and wives prepare to spoil their loved ones and show them their appreciation, I thought we would take some time to reflect on how we can share in each other’s love, not just on Valentine’s Day, but on any day of the year. Last week, we discovered the importance of discovering what brings us joy. As we grow secure in seeking out opportunities that reveal our joy, we should become inspired to assure the joy of others. When our revealed joy transpires to bringing joy to others, that might change the way that we share our lives with those around us. So, as we come upon the holiday of love, how do we share in love no matter what our relationship status may be? How does our love for the lives we live become so distinguishable, so evident among all the rest? How do we use our love of life, our joy in finding what brings us pleasure, in order to help others in the pursuit of what brings them joy? Two days ago, Coldplay performed in the Super Bowl 50 halftime show. In the opening of their performance, Coldplay’s Chris Martin spoke to millions of viewers, saying “... Wherever you are, we’re in this together.” Joined by Beyoncé and Bruno Mars in the finale, the three sang the band’s Up&Up lyrics, “We’re going to get it, get it together right now. // Going to get it, get it together somehow. // Going to get it, get it together and flower. // We’re going to get it, get it together I know. // Going to get it, get it together and flow. // Going to get it, get it together and go.” We may not be world-famous singers, we may not be in a position to display our influence in front of millions of viewers around the world, but we all possess a light and a joy. In a relationship or not, performing in front of millions or not, we have that light in our eyes and that joy in our hearts. While we may not be able to share our joy with the whole world, we can certainly share our joy with those around us, and that is enough to influence the world. As we begin to discover and grow in our own joy, we will become more confident in extending that joy to others. Once we realize the power in the presence of shared joy and of spreading our own love to influence those around us, we may witness world-change. In exploring the influence of our love and joy, we may pursue relationships, experiences, or opportunities that allow us to expand our joy to the rest of the world in order to serve the joy of others. We may, then, start by being more intentional about the people in our own lives. How are we serving them so that their joy is evident? How are we loving them so that the light in their eyes has an evident twinkle? How are we supporting them and enabling them to be all that they can be and to love the lives that they have been given? Let us not stop short of investing in the joy of others. While we work to discover and secure the things in life that bring us joy, let us go farther and push past boundaries in order to discover and secure the joy of others. This may begin to change the way we think and act, so that the decisions we make do not just affect our own lives, but they influence the betterment of another person. We may, then, become intentional and sensitive in the way that we act. We may begin to create a habit that focuses on the joy of others, instead of just the joy of ourselves. We may even find joy in a painful situation, realizing that our own circumstances have the power to harbor an influence or affect on someone else’s life. Finding joy for ourselves, then, becomes more than just a quest for our own betterment, but it becomes meaningful in influencing positive change in the lives of others.When we truly believe that we are all in this beautifully complicated life together, despite differences of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, socio-economic status, opinion, thought, or belief, we will discover our powerful capability to influence the lives of others. We will, then, realize our potential in discovering and assuring joy, and seeing how that joy can spread throughout the world. We may also begin to assure our own joy and the love we share for those around us despite our circumstances, whether we are in a relationship or not, whether we acquire fame or not, whether we find the perfect job or not. For, we may begin to believe that our own joy and our own love do not only illuminate the light in our own eyes, but they allow light to break through the darkest corners of the earth.