I believe in spreading sincere love. What I mean by this is looking for opportunities to love people in any way, shape, and form possible. It is sincere because it comes from the heart, an honest action with no intent other than to selflessly, fearlessly, and freely love by pouring into someone's life. I believe in spreading love because the moments others have taken time to spread love to me have been the most influential and cherished moments in my life. In little ways and in big ways, love is contagious and once you've experienced it, you want to share it with someone else.
There are some things I try and remind myself throughout the day that keep me inspired to love. I remind myself to smile sincerely. These are things that are important to me because they are things that others have done in my life. Love really is contagious and I believe it can spread like a wildfire. It stems from the heart and grows into beautiful displays of love, which plant a seed in another's heart.
A smile means a lot when it is a true smile that is comforting, inviting and warm. A smile can encourage and lift a person's spirits. Ever since I was a little girl, smiles have warmed my heart. I often was too shy to smile at people, but it made me so happy when other people would smile at me. I began to look for smiles and learned to smile back and eventually learned to be the smile initiator.
Something else I often remind myself is to be open to strangers. Get to know the people that work at your favorite place or the regulars that come to where you work. All friends were strangers once. Speaking from the perspective of someone who works at a coffee shop and sees all kinds of people all day, I can honestly say that getting to know the regulars has been one of my greatest joys. Rather than looking at customers as just another person to ring up, get to know them and they will become your friends. Not only do I get to be real with customers, but they get to come to a shop where the person in front of the cash register actually knows their name and is excited to see them. It's a win-win.
Another thing I try and put into practice is encouragement. A little text, a letter, a phone call to remind someone you care. Lastly, I try to be aware of what's going on in the lives of those who surround me and I want to be there for them through the good and the bad. I want to have deep conversations with people to truly get to know them beyond their appearance and beyond the things they keep hidden from the world. When I think of someone, I try and let them know. For example, the other day I found a picture of my friend and I at the lake from last summer before I moved across the United States. I sent her a text that basically told her how much I missed her and how thankful I was for the part she played in my life while I was there. I also told her I was thinking about her and hoped she was having a great week. She replied later that night saying that my message had encouraged her so much and brightened her day. You see, you never know.
These are all ways to spread love, but love is not limited to these things.
Stories and moments to maybe use as examples:
My teachers pouring into my life Senior year when everything went wrong.
Brittany being my role-model when my own sister couldn't be a good example for my life.
The note from Kiersten.
When I'm at work and a customer asks how I'm doing before I can as how they're doing or when they smile.
When my co-workers care.
When my neighbors took time to get to know me.
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