All of us are better when we're loved

The title is a quote from No Great Mischief by the wonderful Cape Breton writer Alastair MacLeod. I found out from a friend today that he had died a couple of weeks back. He wrote about Nova Scotia and displacement and a legacy of Scottishness, particularly those forced to move across the Atlantic by the Clearances.

I went out for a walk today thinking about this wonderful line from his book. I let it walk beside me through the mist and smirr. It is such a simple line, but therein lies its power. If we love we improve the world. We can only improve the world by love.
To me, it's not just about loving those closest to us. We must first learn to love ourselves and the funny wee muddle that makes us who we are. Then we must take it to the streets and into the things we do daily.
But what is love? I think love it where you truly give your attention. Where your time is being spent. When we are with others how often are we not truly there but off somewhere else in our minds? The same when cooking a meal, preparing a lesson or going for a walk. We are there but our time is not spent there but lost in some head dance. We are lost inside ourselves.
This can't be love. Love is taking time to be with whoever or whatever you happen to be doing. It's not wanting to get to the end of it and on to the next thing. Love is time spent in hard currency of interaction not in the credits of the mind.
So today, with this lovely wise line at my side, I took my time. I loved what I was doing, I did my best to spend my time where I was and with what I was doing. Which was walking and taking photos and feeling love make me better. That can only be better for everyone, right?

RIP Alastair MacLeod. Fois do t’anam. Peace to his soul.