attention, not time, is my love language
I had a text exchange with a friend yesterday that went something like this.
friend: what does your status mean? (the status in question: bees have to move very fast to stay still)
me: it's a line from one of my favorite short stories, "Forever Overhead" by David Foster Wallace
me: sends link to PDF of short story
friend: interesting
me: is that [friend's name]-speak for tl;dr
friend: yeah
Paying attention in relationships is usually taken to mean paying attention to each other, to what they say and do. To me, paying attention to the things I care about, the things that move me and change me in some way, is just as critical.
I want someone to see something I loved and say, I see this too. Even if I may not see what you see in it, I will give it the attention it deserves because it is important to you.
I'm listening to one of my favorite songs right now and in the first verse Mon sings, ¿De qué me sirve este país / si no puedo reír contigo? What good is this country if I can’t laugh with you?
What good is all the joy and beauty in the world without someone to share it with?