Ambient Love

Last month, I introduced the Freeway Forum (c.f. the final paragraphs of What is Your Paris?), inviting contributions to this column from you. The first such contribution has come to me via email from a new friend in Dublin, Ireland:

Ah - this is very funny - I think you'll appreciate it. I read a while ago about a psychology study that showed that people who had ambient words around them started acting out those words. For example, if they saw words that reminded them of old age, they walked slower when leaving the experiment room. If they saw words of aggression, they were more impatient when given an obstacle by the researchers. Reading about psychology is a pastime of mine. So, for years I've been meaning to put words around my workspace and living space that were good words. Just yesterday, I bought a beaded copper hanging word "love" and put it in the window next to my desk. This morning I walked to my desk, noticed the word, smiled, and sat down. I opened my email, and I saw the word Love first thing. My email program only showed the first word of your email address. Isn't that amazing?

I had, for the first time, replied to Terri from my lovesway@earthlink.net email account. And in my message, in the process of answering her inquiry about my work, I invited her to visit Love's Freeway. You extend yourself like this to a new person in your life and you just never know: how will you be received? Needless to say, I was delighted by this response: it made me smile and cast an instant glow across my heart to read her words. There it was again: Love knowing Its way, Love having Its way.

Thanks so much, Terri. I'm glad for all the Love you're drawing in--and sending out!