02. “love is the one thing that we’re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space.”

the problem with being an overachiever as a newsletter writer is, sometimes you draft things far ahead of time and then life and other things happen and suddenly you’re left adrift and wondering whether you need to reevaluate what it is you wanted to say.

i’ve gone back and forth on whether i needed to rethink this particular newsletter in light of the heartbreaking effects of climate change and the new administration and how our very humanity is at stake right now. but then i saw an interview with bernice king on mlk day coinciding with the inauguration, where she shared that:

“The spirit of Dr. King is nonviolence. And nonviolence is not just a posture, it’s a mindset. For us, we define it as a love-centered way of thinking, speaking, acting and engaging that leads to personal, cultural and societal transformation.”

and so, as they usually do, the puzzle pieces start to click for me. i don’t really believe in coincidence — i have my connectedness strength to thank for that. it’s no coincidence that i’m thinking about love in these dark times — sure, it’s february, the month of love, but love is also what gets us through the darkness, of winter, of hard times.

i’m going to let people smarter than me be the ones who analyze and speak to real-time needs — and then i’m going to do what they say to do in community organizing: leverage my strengths. i am an optimist with a vision of a future that’s soft and sweet for everyone. i am a listener and a thinker who likes to take big thoughts and distill them into simple truths. i like to make things beautiful.

those are my strengths. thank you for allowing me to share them with you.

i did not choose the church, but it is a part of me, the way every major phenomenon from your formative years eventually becomes a part of your psyche. and it was a phenomenon — the sounds, the smells, the ritual of it all. the way i’m drawn now to stained glass and incense and that eerie, meditative feeling that happens when you’re in a crowd chanting the same phrases together, like a spell.

there’s something mesmerizing too about the way the universe operates — the rhythm of celestial bodies, the way particles collide and interact. science is poetry, a way to understand not just what exists but how we belong to it all. formulas and equations are scripture: a map of connection, a testament to the ways everything is bound together.

those church refrains from my childhood still echo in my head, but i hear them differently now. what are words but vibrations in our bodies, the same way the cosmos is constantly humming? everything sings. maybe love is the vibration that holds it all together.

the universe, at every level, is alive with music — from the symphony of atoms in motion to the gravitational pull that keeps galaxies spinning in perfect synchrony. science has shown us that everything is connected, not just metaphorically but literally, through invisible forces like gravity and electromagnetism. 

i believe in the force that has not only shaped us but that draws us together. we’re made of the same particles as the universe; is it any wonder that we find ways to collide, again and again? we come together to share a meal, to converse, to simply enjoy each others’ company. what i believe in are those unseen connections that join us.

what i believe in is love.

i don’t practice faith in a deity, but i do practice faith in people, in our ability to connect and create meaning. physics tells us the universe expands endlessly, stretching across infinite possibilities. isn’t that the purpose of love? to create, to expand, to bring something into existence that wasn’t there before?

i practice my faith every time i choose understanding over shame. every time i show up for others or for myself. i practice my faith every time i choose love. 

because love is an active choice, even — or especially — when that choice feels impossible. we choose to be present, to forgive, to show compassion. to choose love is to choose expansion, to acknowledge that the smallest gestures — a touch, a smile, a kind word — ripple outward in ways we can’t always measure but can undeniably feel.

to choose love is nothing short of a miracle.

love has the power to elevate the ordinary. if you look through your memories, there will likely be some big moments, yes, but there are also small, quiet ones. memories with loved ones that might not otherwise be special. a hand held, a hug given. a word of kindness. if you feel warm, if you feel cherished remembering those, it’s because those memories are imbued with love. no moment is too small when love is there.

it is through love that humanity achieves its greatest accomplishments. our love of art drives us to create poetry and music and sculptures. our love of science pushes us to explore the universe and, by better understanding where we come from, also understand ourselves. our love of each other pushes us to be better people, to share what’s ours, to live communally. through love we realize that everything is connected — you to me and me to you. every act of kindness is, therefore, an act of love. 

we practice love when we create space for others to show up exactly as they are. we practice love by offering ourselves grace when we fall short, by giving ourselves the opportunity to grow and do better. we practice love when we live in awe, noticing the small, beautiful moments of connection that surround us.

love binds us together, and every act of love serves to strengthen those connections.

may we always choose love, in all its forms, as the highest expression of who we are. may we always let love sing through us.

stay soft, stay loving.

<3,

n.

please enjoy this new section where i’ll be sharing things i’ve recently found inspiring/interesting/joyful…

p.s.

• “organizing with love” by adrienne maree brown

• “how to build community” by @thecollectress

• my friend allison’s latest newsletter is what inspired me to add this section to mine — in particular the excerpt she shared from what it takes to heal by prentis hemphill:

  “The space between the inspiration and what we might call the result is where things become surprisingly unwieldy, and beautiful, painful, and miraculous. Mainly, it’s where we become someone different from who we were when we began.”

• this scene from an episode of code black where penn jillette talks about the importance of magic and faith:

  “be careful never to really arrive at a place, you always must be in a constant state of becoming.” (quoting bob dylan)

• currently reading: on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong (yes, yes, i know i should’ve read this a long time ago, please respect my privacy at this time, etc.)

• currently watching: the traitors (no spoilers plz, i am watching with my partner and we are slow to watch things together…) and the pitt (i ❤️ medical dramas)