“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made like bread, remade all the time, made new.” - Ursula K. Le Guin
I’ve been thinking about this quote and this drawing by artist Airidescence lately. In both the season of Valentine’s Day as well as in popular culture, to love and be loved means to be in a monogamous, heterosexual relationship. This piece reminds me how expansive and alive love is. Consider all the people who love you - your friends, your family, your suitemates, your spiritual community, your neighbors. And consider all the ways you love them back.
Similarly, the act of loving is participatory. Like stirring honey into warm water, watching yeast bubble up, and pulling back a damp towel over a swollen ball of dough, love
demands new things and constant engagement. These little mice show us that there’s so much more behind the loaf of bread; the baker was probably up early in the morning
baking for hours before it was ready to give away. You don’t just say “I love you.” You back it up with actions, words, thoughts, prayers, and feelings.
I consider myself very blessed to be able to participate in the wonderful mess that is loving and being loved by others.