MY TWO CENTS:
Phew…let’s all catch our collective breath!!
This presidential election cycle has been one of the most contentious and ideologically divisive of my lifetime. The pundits tell us that there have been others not all that dissimilar…I just don’t remember them. And, regardless of whether your candidate won the election or not, there is reason for hope that I’ll share below!
If you’re a new reader of MY TWO CENTS (MTC), you’ll find that this is a place in which I share my personal thoughts on a particular topic. Those topics range from personal development to leadership to health and fitness to financial planning. What you won’t find here is my prognostication on what the investing markets will do, or even my verbose commentary on why they did what they did! I’m happy to share my thoughts with you in person, but this is not the place for those opinions.
I intentionally waited until the day after this nasty Presidential election to launch a new MTC series that might be seen as timely. Dictionary.com gives this definition for love: a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend. While that seems like a fine definition, it leaves me wanting more.
Love is more than a feeling. Love is a choice. Love chooses to be patient. Love chooses to be kind. Love chooses to honor others. Love chooses to get angry slowly while forgiving quickly. Love chooses to be humble and put others first. Love chooses to embrace truth and reject evil. Love chooses to protect, trust, hope, and persevere.
How unified would our homes be if we pursued love as our character trait of highest value? What would our relationships with our spouses, kids, co-workers, and neighbors look like when we make the choice to love? How small would the ideological gap really be in our nation if we all embraced the idea that love is first, last, and always?
Wow…I don’t know about you, but that moves me to want to love more!
Make it a great week!
Scott Cousino, CFP®
President