Have you ever received something that had so much thought put into it, that the effort was more valuable than the thing?
It’s why my grandmother kept this awkwardly shaped Alabama pottery I made as a 3rd grader for over 30 years and why looking at this orchid every day makes me so happy. It’s why these handmade masks, this beautiful card with a kind note dropped in the mail, and this Christmas ornament designed with my heart in mind make me smile so big when I see them. And as a result of these efforts, each of these people are special to me.
Effort is loving. Consideration is loving. Selflessness is loving. An orchid is delicate, but it can survive on 3 ice cubes on Thursdays and keep its vibrance. That requires very little effort on my part but is critical for its blooms. It just doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s day or to be loving.
If you knew you could spend a few minutes or a few hours on someone but the product of that was multiple days or even years of good feels, would you do it?
Deeper Than a Puddle 