A four year old has very few ways to express their displeasure with an adult. They might throw a temper tantrum, they might refuse to eat, but the big one, the thermonuclear option is to declare “I don’t love you.” This may work for a four year old, but as big people we really want to reconsider this option, reign-in that inner child so to speak. When we withhold love from one person we must shut ourselves down to ALL love, otherwise we might find ourselves feeling love for that one person. Either we allow love into our lives or we don’t, there is no select switch to see love over here, but not over there.
When we shut off love in ourselves, no matter how justified we may be, something else will fill the space where that love once flowed; often what fills this space is distrust, a feeling of abandonment, confusion, helplessness, sleeplessness, anxiety, and on and on.
No matter how much you might not like someone else, consider taking a little time to recognize that everyone deserves love. Even if the best you can do at this moment is to say “I love you for leaving my sight” it is better than trying to turn off love altogether. The love you seek in your life grows only when fed. The discomfort in your life grows when fed, so it is your choice what to feed. It is all about YOU!
