time today

I spent 2 hours at the skatepark at Saddleback Church with Melvil today, watching him learn tricks from the other skaters. He loves to skate, and I love to watch. How interesting that his only remarque upon leaving was "C'est super."

How interesting that people can grow up under the same roof, with the same parents, but with a totally different perception on life. Some are gentle, some are crass. Some live out loud, some live in the shadow. Some compete, some are spectators. No matter which "some" you fit into, you do require love. For Melvil, one-on-one time is a golden chance to remind him that he is important and special. For Milan, a simple high-five and a solid, heartfelt "Awesome! Great job!" works wonders. I am more aware of how important recognizing love languages is, infact. You can claim to love someone more than life itself, but if they don't feel it, it's ineffective. I am burdened with the practice of studying love languages in people. I know what it feels like to "know" and not "feel" loved. I have no doubt that you, too, are suddenly thinking of people that you know love you, but you rarely feel loved by them. How I wonder what the world would be like if we would learn to juts pay attention to other people and focus on their love language rather than our own!

The larger idea behind love languages is the concept of selfishness, a disease from which we all suffer. In order to overcome selfishness, it first takes awareness. Just notice people! Recognize them. Say hello! Say goodbye. Before expounding on your day, ask someone about their day. Send a note in the mail. DO something that makes someone important to you feel special. If you work 9 hours every day, you spend 26.8% of your week with co-workers. And, let's say you sleep the recommended 8 hours every night. That means that you spend 33.3% of your week sleeping. The remaining 39.9% of your week is free for you. Spend it wisely.