There was a book come out a few years back entitled, "The Five Love Languages."
http://www.5lovelanguages.com/
It was a book to help understand your partner better by learning which love language speaks to them. Since we all have different ways of showing love, we also have different ways of receiving love. The five love languages are these:
Words of Affirmation (ex:" I love you" = "Hey, you know that thing you're doing? That's awesome!" )
Acts of Service (ex. "I love you" = Taking out the trash and driving the kids to soccer practice)
Receiving Gifts (ex. "I love you" = A box with something in it.)
Quality Time (ex. "I love you" = der, spending time together)
Physical Touch (ex. "I love you" = kissy face/huggy bear)
The point is that life gets easier when you understand that our partners doesn't always have the same love language as we do, we tend to give what we need ourselves, and it's important to learn how to express love that resonates with our partner according to their love language. I think that's cool. I like that idea.
I dig all the love languages. I rank words of affirmation and acts of service at the top of my list.
And then I'll say that I'm not great at remembering the good times. I've had lots of them, but for some reason my brain remembers the bummers more than the high fives. I wish I knew why. I'm working on it.
I need lots of words of affirmation. I wish I didn't, but my shaky singer/songwriter self just doesn't trust itself. I wish it did.
And so I want to document how grateful I am for all the high fives I've been getting lately. So many. From so many different people in so many ways. Thank you. I'm remembering them. I am so grateful for your encouragement and I am energized by the warm fuzzies. They are keeping me toasty while a blizzard swirls and twirls outside. Encouraging words help me work harder, they inspire me to dig deeper and to battle through the doubt and the darkness that keep finding me all the way over here. I remember you guys, each one of you, and I think, "You have a job to do and you're doing it for her. You're doing it for him." That's what I say to the devil when he tells me it's too hard, or too late or too far to reach. Thank you.
And lately I've been putting up lots of work. Mostly on the book of faces. I've been trying to write lots of songs. Please, don't feel like you have to watch 'em. I'm putting up the songs as a testimony of the work that I'm giving to myself. The self-talk in my head says, "Shut up, already. Stop showing off. Stop trying so hard. You're embarrassing yourself. Quit it." I'm trying to respond to that voice by saying, "No way. I am going to burn it down when it comes to songwriting. I am unapologetically raising my hand every time the teacher asks a question and I am going to get a 110% because I want to." I think it's a fight against the tendency toward being the woman who doesn't raise her hand because she doesn't want to stand out. She says sorry too much. She doesn't want to burn anything down.
I'm at a place where I'd like to be as fearless as I can because why not? I hope you interpret it as a green light to be as fearless as you want because why not? Eye on the prize. Raise your hand and answer every question like a boss. Encourage one another. I'll try and do the same from where I'm at. Peace.