No. 40

I am a man of many tongues.

[No. 40]

WHAT IS YOUR LOVE LANGUAGE?

“Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves.”
Like Water for Chocolate

My gut is to say that love knows every language, every song, every sound, every laugh. Love is without prescription. It is the wind. It is a voice memo! I push back on its distillation into 5 categories by two men. I have tried to read the book and could not get through it. In my life, I have loved each person differently. The heart is so enigmatic that I feel it would be irreverent to place it in a cage. 

Perhaps we become fluent in or familiar with the endless tongues of love when we stop trying to master her, and instead infuse every connection that we can with intention and bravery. In the words of Seneca, the ancient Roman philosopher, “If you wish to be loved, love.”

When I make food, I pour my soul into it. I think of the farmers with dirt-stained hands who plant seeds that grow into the bounty I am lucky enough to touch. I stand in my kitchen and thank the folks who made it happen. I think of my daughter, the belly I love most to feed.

Making art allows for the same alchemy, as does planting a garden or writing a love letter or poem. We are offered endless stages throughout our days to sing our affection, gratitude, appreciation to others, to our planet, to ourselves. Our bodies are our temples, and loving with mind and soul is our endless gigantic silent collective prayer.I don’t want to pick a language.
Love is the language.
Loving is the language.
I will never limit myself to one tongue.
Love is everywhere & infinite.

HOW DO YOU LOVE? AND WHEN?