What is LOVE?
Many years ago my 5 year old daughter asked me “what does love feel like?” The question caught me off guard and so I muddled through and started talking about butterflies, smiles, and then veered towards a better definition: you love someone when you feel safe to be yourself and you are excited to see and spend time with them. My daughter thought for a moment and then immediately lit up and said “I love Cora!” Cora was her new fellow 5 year old friend at Acton and that day they were about to have a playdate. My daughter was all action and that evening she nonchalantly asked Cora to marry her. Cora was a lady of many options and she kindly asked if she could think about it. This was my daughter’s first rejection but it also was her first experience thinking about the intricacies of love and love outside her immediate family. Love is many things and on this LOVE day I’d like to share a slice of how love is abundant and diverse at Acton.
I asked these once 5 now 10 year old ladies and many other learners to share how love exists at Acton and “What is love?” Here are their wise words…
“Love is awesome and feels so good.”
“I know a Guide loves me when they keep me accountable and when they trust me to lead a group.”
“Guides love when they help you. Like, if you’re stuck on a Bob book a Guide will ask if you need help and will always say yes for you to read and help you push through.”
“I know I love my friend when I do risky things out of my comfort zone and when my friends include me."
“I can tell a friend loves me when they really miss me. They are actually sad and they call and try to send messages.”
“Love is when people choose to spend time with you on something you enjoy and when you spend time on something another person enjoys. Like rock climbing, a friend will love me if they try it for the first time and I love my friend if I try their stuff.”
“When a friend smiles and checks on you, that’s love. Especially when you’re having a hard time. Your friend will stay with you when its hard and they sit with you. That’s love.”
Love is hard to pinpoint and sometimes its a bit confusing to put into words. Sometimes it feels like butterflies, sometimes it goes “BOOM in your soul” like the words of Toy Story’s Forky and friends, and sometimes it appears different for different people. Here’s a little animated explanation if you’re wanting to love to laugh today and your curious about Forky’s explanation of What is Love.
At Acton we talk about love languages and how we give and receive love. Sometimes learners need space, others need to talk, maybe a hug, affirmation that they are amazing, or a help with service during their studio maintenance job. Love is just as beautifully messy and simply complex as the design of our school.
Love is exciting and abundant at Acton and today learners glowed with gifts of hearts and cards perfectly crafted for their Acton loved ones. Our Guide team and I truly love every learner at Acton. Personally, I love watching them grow and change and I love witnessing their resilience to fail and their light bulbs of success turn on. Perhaps most of all, I love the fact that when I ask a big question such as “What is love?” our Acton learners have diverse answers and numerous examples. Today, what is love for you?