I'm here for you, this is the best and the most precious gift you can give a loved one.
Nothing is more precious than your true fresh presence. You offer it to increase your happiness and your loved one's happiness.
To love someone means to be there for him or her.
To be there is an art and practice.Are you truly there for the person you say that you love 100 per cent?
Using the skills of mindful breathing and mindful walking, you can bring together your body and mind to restore yourself and to produce your true presence in the here and the now.
To be there like that for yourself and others is an act of love.
If you say to yourself that I'm here for you, it also means that I am there for myself. My mind goes home to my body, I then become aware that I have a body.
That is a practice of love directed to yourself.
If you are capable of being with yourself, you are capable of being with the person that you love.
It is said love is based on understanding. But how can you understand someone if you aren't present? Your mind has to be in the here and the now before you can love.
So the first definition of love is to be there.
How can you love if you aren't there?
To love you have to be there, just like the tree outside your window is there supporting you. You can be there for yourself and your loved ones just like the tree.
Mindful practice is the foundation of your love. You can't love deeply without mindfulness.
Incredible excerpt from "The Art of Communicating" book by Thich Nhat Hanh.
📷 This beautiful photo by photographer Jeremy Rodney-Hall. From his, "The Hair Appointment" series, encapsulates the caption beautifully.