Asheville Blog Your Source for all things Asheville

There are a million love songs. From Donna Summers I Feel Love to The Lion King’s Can you Feel the Love Tonight, they all remind us that when love is present, it is palpable. So I’m willing to agree that love is a feeling. The problem is love felt, but not expressed, is not enough. I wrote on Week One that we need to figure out how we want to be loved. If your partner loves you madly, but treats you badly, is that really love? This is where the fourth Principle of Loving comes in: Love is Good Will in Action. If you want to love someone more, do nice things for them, keeping in mind what they would like to receive from you.  If you want some one to love you more, allow them to do nice things for you.

A little counter intuitive, no? We think that the more we do for another, the more they will love us.  In reality, the kindest thing you can do for another is let them know how they can please you, and then be pleased by their good will in action. Jerry Jud talks about another facet of good will in action, which is that, to truly love, we have to come to grips with the fact that we are all good, and bad, dark and light.  He said, “I have to own my own darkness in order to live with your darkness.  But I also have to own my own light in order to live with your brilliant light.. . . If you are going to love somebody, you have to love the whole thing.”**

Victor Baranco said it another way, “Love is the willingness to see yourself through all of another person's viewpoints.”  And here’s the love myth.  That someone out there is the perfect person for us, in every way. Their bumps will fit our grooves, and we will live happily, lovingly ever after. We believe that true love sees us as we wish to see ourselves. Anyone who’s been in a relationship knows this isn’t true.  Our “soul mates” stick their thumbs in every sore spot we have. We are attracted to the people who have the things we lack, and then resent them for it. They mirror back  our shadows, and also call us to live into our highest selves.This can be very uncomfortable!

The next time you find yourself not liking someone very much, you can re-connect to your love for them by remembering that love is good will in action. More on what that might look like when we get the skills of loving.

What are your thoughts? Do these principles inform your relationships?
Next time: The last principle, Love is a response to need.

To read the prior posts, click below
Week One | Week Two | Week Three

Read More »

There aren't many ways you can get tacos, Vietnamese soup, hoagies and Creole etouffee all in one location, but last Saturday, March 15, that place was downtown Asheville at the Masonic Temple, as part of the Asheville Tattoo and Arts Expo.

Read More »

Cherokee, NC, is a small town nestled in a beautiful valley and surrounded by mountains. It’s an easy, scenic drive from Asheville, especially via the Blue Ridge Parkway. It sits at the eastern entrance to the Smoky Mountain National Park. It’s home to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. So why did no one want to visit until recently?

Read More »

Asheville Flyer for Kids, the fun, free, monthly paper just for kids is having another party at The Mill Room, just for the kids and parents of Asheville!  On Sunday March 16th from 2pm to 5pm there will be a festive dance party happening to celebrate...  nothing in particular! It is hosted & produced by Asheville Flyer for Kids.

Read More »

On Friday, March 14^th, Asheville welcomes the uproariously funny stand-up Comedian Jarrod Harris in downtown Asheville for Funny Business at The Millroom’s comedy series for shows at 7:00pm and 9:30pm. Jarrod is the former writer for the hit web series ‘Action Figure Therapy,’ and also was the voice of “Jungle” on the series. 

Read More »