Ok so there is a couple at work.  They have been married probably 10 -15 years, have two kids, are different nationalities and have worked together for the past 10 years.  Every morning they take their coffee break together.  Everyday they eat lunch together.  Sometimes after lunch they go for a walk together.  At meetings they sit together. They travel to and from work together... in the same car!    I'm thinking..."Don't they ever get tired of each other?"  or... Is this LOVE?  The times they are together for coffee, for lunch, for a walk...I watch them.  They really seem to be interested in each other.   When they talk about one another it is almost always complimentary.  They seem to understand their differences and how it compliments one another.  Is this LOVE?  It certainly seems like it might be...I don't know...I'll have to keep watching....

This is less of an observation and more of a sharing something a good friend shared with me….she told me how a couple friend of hers were getting ready for retirement and when the husband was asked about how he felt about retiring he said…."I'm looking forward to walking into retirement holding my wife's hand."  Now that sounds like the kind of LOVE I would want….someone who after many years is still looking forward to spending time together.  I'll keep watching and listening!

The Airport

Traveling home for the holidays….what better place to observe love than the airport.  Now that I'm paying attention, I am overwhelmed by the loving hellos and goodbyes.  I watched a couple…the woman walked the man all the way to the security check as far as she could go.  They kissed, they hugged, they kissed and hugged again.  There were tears and although I couldn't hear their words I could only imagine the promises to see each other again…is that LOVE?  The desperation of not wanting to be apart? of separation?   I wondered once they separated, what happened.  I watched man for a while and once she was gone, he went about his business…he seemed fine, but was that just how it looked on the outside?

On the plane it was easy to watch couples.  While I, traveling alone, tried desperately to be aware of my space and not invade on the person sitting next to me, I watched couples, leaning on each other...having someone to lay your head on, talking quietly about personal matters so noone else could hear…is that LOVE?  Having the person that you could lean on…literally and figuratively?  Without that LOVE, I worked hard at not leaning at all!

As I arrived in the states, I also watched the hellos….people desperately waiting for their loved ones to come out.  The smiles, the sense of relief when they saw the person they were waiting for and again the hugs, the kisses, the hugs, the kisses and then continuing on to their destination.  I do think LOVE is the wanting to be with the other person…feeling better when you are together, more whole - being able to be in your space and lean into someone else's.  Maybe that is why the airport seems like such a place filled with love, it's bring people who are in love back together….I don't know I'll keep watching.