Loving out loud

I think one of the reasons that people love dogs so much is how they greet you at the door when you come home.

It’s hard not to feel like an occasion, like someone special, when you’re met on the front steps with unabashed love and enthusiasm.  “I missed you!!” the wagging tail says.  “We need time together, now!”

Same thing goes for cats—some will sit at a door after their owner has left and meow persistently—really, it sounds a lot like crying—until they return.  (This can be a bit annoying if you’re in the cat’s company while this is happening, but the sentiment is sweet.)

You may have noticed that young children can be incredibly gifted at end-of-day greetings, too, when their parents come home from work or pick them up from school.  Every expression of a child’s love looks a bit different—full body hugs, monkey-like leg-clinging, or just a profusion of bright smiles and laughter—but the underlying meaning is the same.  These children know how to love out loud.

Somewhere along the way, though, many of us set aside effusive, excited greetings.  I suppose it’s hard to sustain that level of excitement and enthusiasm amidst the everyday routines.  Perhaps I’m making an excuse for us, though.  After all, Fido meets the task with the same relentless enthusiasm, no matter what, day after day.

I think those bits of love, those special doorway greetings, explain why there’s a place in our hearts that’s bookmarked for pets.

But, today’s article isn’t about pets.

In fact, today’s article may not appear to directly benefit you.  Rather, I’m going to ask you to do something on behalf of others.  (When done right, I think such gestures come back a hundred fold, but that’s not why we do them.)

Today we will talk about the practice of loving out loud.

Let’s go back to the “greeting at the door” scenario.

When is the last time you were greeted this way?

When was the last time you greeted someone like this?

I’m not proposing we routinely tackle-hug our family and friends like young lovers reunited at an airport terminal.  But, I am curious about the practice of showing love and affection with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment in our daily lives.  This is what loving out loud is all about.

As with most of my suggestions, this practice is customizable and looks different from person to person.  If you don’t say, “I love you” often, what would it be like to start saying it out loud on a more regular basis?

What would it be like to hold hands or hug more often?

What would it be like to treat Tuesday night dinner as a special occasion, like a holiday dinner, with cloth napkins and conversation and no smart phones at the table?

I know there’ve been quite a few books published on the topic of expressing love in various forms and fashions.  To be honest, I haven’t read any of them yet (though several are on my reading list), so I’m still figuring it out.  Perhaps you’ve already made a study of this task, or you know what works for you.

I’m curious.  Please let me know—how do you love out loud?