Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
There’s a beautiful story behind this article, one that involves the publishers who bring it to you. It was, in fact, inspired by them — the two founders at Wake Up World, Ryan and Andy, and the beautiful friend they helped, Raelie.
These guys, as you can imagine, are pretty busy. But last month they took weeks off, lost a bunch of sleep, and moved 600 miles to be there for their friend, day after day, when she needed help for a serious medical condition. They worked late at night, for many nights, trying to keep up with their “day job” while they helped Raelie: cooking, running errands, hospital visits, hot water bottles delivered by Andy in a hand-woven nurse-like beanie, foot and head massages, child-sitting, carrying her to the toilet in the middle of night, telling jokes and entertaining Raelie with nonsense — you name it.
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I was immediately and deeply touched by their love in action, their “sacrifice,” the outpouring of support they gave and how they stretched themselves to be there. And I saw too that this friend of theirs was of the same loving and appreciative ilk. In that much pain, she was so broken-open and appreciative, and expressed it profusely. I found myself instantly involved, offering whatever support I could. And I met a new friend in the process.
What’s more, when I submitted this article last week Ryan and Andy didn’t even know they inspired it. But they did ask me if I would write an introduction for it. I bet they didn’t expect this! Seriously, these guys are gems, and you should know it, if you don’t already. What’s behind all the Wake Up World articles is a lot of dedication, hard work, and tons of love for our world. I’ve been wanting to salute them publicly for a long time, and I’m smiling with satisfaction right now that I finally have the opportunity.
So, this goes out to Raelie, who is getting better and better each day, and the guys at Wake Up World, whom I admire and continue to grow with month after month — thank you.
This also goes out to you and all you do for what you love. Appreciation is so important, and we should remember to express it whenever something has been done on our behalf, which takes an open heart to receive and a good mind to notice!
So, I hope this inspires you to reach out to those you love even more — whoever or whatever they may be — and share your love, today. May we not forget our love and may we band together more and more in support, especially in the face of a world going mad. And may it one day, finally, rub off on those who have never tasted true love.
Blessings to you all.
15 Reasons to Give Your Love Away, Today
1) It helps someone else, and this alone is enough. Any other good reasons are just gravy. Each day there are many appropriate ways to open your heart as well as many that are unsafe. Use discretion, but find a way!
2) When you act from that place inside that says “yes” and naturally reaches out, you join something larger than yourself, which is as close to the essence of religion as we might ever come.
3) When someone is generous to us it makes us feel good. Something inside us, in our heart of hearts, wants to give back, which also feels good. Most of us (save for psychopaths) are hard-wired for it. To hold it back makes us feel bad. So, give it and enjoy!
4) To risk giving what you (think you) don’t have enough of puts you in the arms of trust, leaving you open to receive from others, all of which is crucial spiritual practice and Loving it Forward.
5) Life is short. We never know when, or if, we will see each other, or what we love, again. Share your heart today, now, any way you can. It’s all we really got.
6) Climate change and other disgraces are out of control, and we nor the beautiful world we inhabit stands to be as beautiful as we are today and yesterday. So, expose yourself to what’s beautiful and care deeply for what has no voice of its own.
7) We often think having things means that we automatically can enjoy them. Not true. We enjoy what we have and what we give based on how much we are also able to receive. Let yourself receive love from your self and others. Working through our emotional blocks to receiving and giving makes life more worth living. This practice helps!
8) When you give from your heart, you receive in the very act of giving. The more you notice and embody your joy of giving, the more joy you receive it because you are being it!
9) When we say “thank you” and mean it, we honor what has been given to us, and the person who gave it. We also increase gratitude and appreciation in the one who gifted us. In addition to teaching children to say thank you, we can help them learn to appreciate what’s been given and awaken their realization of where it came from and what went into it, which fosters true love rather than guilt and obligation.
10) None of us walks out the end of life with any of our stuff. But the love we gave away keeps on giving long after we are gone. How we touch others affects how they touch the world, which keeps loving it forward, round and round.
11) Some forms of love come in the way of wake-up calls. Speaking our truth, letting others know our limits, fighting for what’s right, true, and beautiful are all love in action that help foster goodness and mitigate senseless waste and suffering.
12) Loving is a risk, a passionate surrender, because we open our hearts and thereby stand to feel more intensely and deeply. This means we might have to feel difficult things more intensely too, which might be scary. But feeling the bad with the good leads to more love, more capacity to give and receive, when we stay open through our biggest challenges and hurts.
13) We need each other. Helping each other makes the world go ‘round. It’s what the heart does naturally, so join the flow and let it go.
14) At the end of the day, at the end of life, what matters more?
15) Even if we couldn’t name 14 good reasons to give our love away, we need no reasons. So have at it…
“Eventually we will abandon our bunker mentality and understand that the only security comes through giving, opening, and being at the center of a flux of relationships, not taking more and more for self; security comes not from independence but from interdependence.” ~ Charles Eisenstein
The Nourish Practice
Jack Adam Weber’s “The Nourish Practice” is an easy, guided meditation-Qi Gong practice in radical gratitude and self-love. It is an Earth-based, body-centered practice — at once physiological and ecological — that is deeply relaxing and replenishing, especially for modern-day burn-out syndrome, and requires little physical effort. It “resets your nervous system” and fosters a rich inner life.
You can purchase The Nourish Practice as a CD or Digital Download here.
Previous articles by Jack Adam Weber:
- The Modern Shaman: Fierce Love at the Frontier of Madness
- Arrogance in Relationships: How to Deal With and Heal It
- 11 Reasons Why Hippies (Not Psychos) Should Rule the World
- The Monsanto Years: Singer Neil Young Rips Into GMOs, Big Biz and Conformity
- ReVOLUTION: When Enough is Enough
- Sex – Truth and Dare, Pleasure and Purpose
- Relationships: The Costs of Staying When We Should Leave
- Emotional Work
- Yin Yang — Ancient Wisdom for Personal and Planetary Transformation
- Heartbreak – Loving Ourselves Through Difficult Times
About the author:
Jack Adam Weber, L.Ac. is a Chinese medicine physician, author, celebrated poet, organic farmer, and activist for body-centered spirituality. He is also the creator of The Nourish Practice, an Earth-based rejuvenation meditation. Weber is available by phone for medical consultations and life-coaching.
You can connect with Jack Adam Weber at:
- Facebook: Facebook.com/JackAdamWeber
- Twitter: Twitter.com/JackAdamWeber
- Email: [email protected]
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