How do you show love?

I missed a few of the daily Bloganuary challenges because I was involved in 5-Day Profit Challenge, learning more about running Amazon ads for my book, US, NOW AND THEN. As an indie author, my personal challenge is to do better than break even every month. But that’s another very long story.

So, how do I show love?

Hubs and I will celebrate our fiftieth anniversary this year and I believe I’ve learned a few things about showing love. Essentially, showing love comes down to paying attention.

There is a line from Ray Bradbury’s “I Sing the Body Electric” a “Twilight Zone” episode. (I can’t find the exact quote. Sorry.) The extremely lifelike and beloved robotic grandmother (Josephine Hutchinson with Veronica Cartwright, left) insists to her grown “grandchildren” that she can’t feel love. She explains that what she did was to pay attention, which felt like love to the recipients.

Paying attention to the little–and big–nice things your loved one does for you is key. We all want to feel noticed and appreciated. That’s love. But also noticing when something seems “off,” even if you can’t do anything to fix it. That’s also love.

I think the hard part is paying attention to the needs and wants of another person as well as our own. It’s especially hard during times of stress or grief or any other million feelings we might experience. Do they need a touch? A hug? A little peace and quiet? A good meal? A nap? A walk? Some retail therapy? To be left alone? On the other hand, ignoring stuff is part of showing love too. There’s the rub.

So, even if you don’t feel love at the moment, your loved one will likely perceive your kind attention as love. And that may be all you need to get through to the next moment.

Maybe that’s how you make it through fifty mostly happy years—one moment at a time.