One of my goals in my earlier post was to 'love up close, not from a distance'. I think I should explain this because a few friends who knew about my goals seem to have misunderstood the meaning. ;)
I've been reminded about this goal from the recent news headlines of the devastating earthquakes in Haiti, resulting in countless casualties. Whenever I see or hear similar events happening around the world, my heart would go out to victims such as the kids who were buried deep under next to their dead parents and all those starving Haitians fighting for food and water. In those moments in which I am uncovering the shocking details of the aftermath of the disasters, I would feel an overwhelming sense of compassion. But...as always, I leave it at that. I would feel as if my 'compassion' for the unfortunate is enough and then feel satisfied in the assurance that I am a compassionate and loving person who is not out of touch with the rest of the world. A moment later on, I would carry on my daily routines and become occupied with my list of to-do's again, with the news at the back of my mind...and eventually out of my mind, just like the newspaper headlines.
It is hard to love up close. Honestly I've always preferred to love from a distance in comfort. Getting too close means I would have to sacrifice something. Getting too close means it costs me something of value. Then it makes me wonder about what real love is. It is not about being comfortable and feeling warm and safe. Maybe it is about getting close enough with the willingness to sacrifice. It is definitely not comfortable.
I can think of a few opportunities for me to 'love up close' this year. Will definitely be a challenge as I'm sure it will be harder when I am confronted with it. Maybe I will write about it another day.
