In our last +1, we upgraded our conception of Soul Mates to Soul Mate 2.0. (At least I did!) Before we jump into the wisdom for Today’s +1, how about some fun Johnson family history?! Once upon a time (actually, almost exactly 13 years ago), Alexandra and I met. At the time I was running a social networking site called Zaadz that was all about connecting people who wanted to be the change and change the world together. Long story short, Alexandra was introduced to the site by a friend. She checked it out, found my profile page and said, “I’m going to marry that guy.” No joke! I get misty-eyed just typing that. We happened to have a mutual friend who happened to introduce us and, well, skipping some fun details, the rest is history. Now… One of the reasons we fell in love is that we both loved Leo Buscaglia and his book Love. In fact, Alexandra was the first woman I ever met who had actually read that book. TWICE no less! So… Today we’re going to talk about Love. More specifically: Leo Buscaglia’s Love. We’ll start with this gem (that captures the thesis of our Love 101 class): “As soon as the love relationship does not lead me to me, as soon as I in a love relationship do not lead another person to himself, this love, even if it seems to be the most secure and ecstatic attachment I have ever experienced, is not true love. For real love is dedicated to continual becoming.” Then there’s this lesson I’ve been blessed to learn and relearn (!): “One does not fall ‘in’ or ‘out’ of love. One grows in love.” And: “It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.” And, finally: “If one wishes to know love, one must live love, in action.” Love. Let’s live it. TODAY.
