Ryan Holiday Quote on How Love Is Best Spelled T-I-M-E

“A French journalist once told me that love is best spelled T-I-M-E. I don’t think I’ve heard anything truer or more important in my role as a husband or father.”

Ryan Holiday, Medium

Beyond the Quote (Day 404)

Without T-I-M-E there can be no L-O-V-E. And while time isn’t the only thing needed for love to flourish, it is undoubtedly the universal preliminary requirement. It is only with the shared gift of time that all other actions, experiences, and conversations can take form. It is as though time is the bridge that connects the island of one person’s energy to another’s. And without that bridge, a person’s energy can only remain stranded and alone.

One might ship expensive flowers, thoughtful gifts, and timely remarks via plane or boat to the other island—but, those gestures will remain empty without a connection to the actual sender. Even your greatest intentions to love are empty without time shared. Intention is in your head—it’s an abstract thought for future actions, experiences, and conversations. It’s not the real thing. And real love can only be built on the foundation of real time spent together. That said, not all time shared—bridges connected—results in love.

Time is an indiscriminate bridge. It connects energy, but never acts as a filter for that energy. This means, whatever energy you’re connecting to, is what is going to get shared with your island. If you connect your bridge to toxic, hateful, abusive, indifferent, negative energy—then that is what is going to cross. As is the case if you connect with constructive, compassionate, thoughtful, caring, positive energy. What results of any merge is the sum total of all energy exchanged.

This is why self-love is vital. And why being with someone who loves themself is vital. Because what else is a loving relationship composed of than two loving individuals? What else is a happy relationship, but two happy individuals? What else is a healthy relationship, than two healthy individuals? …Who share T-I-M-E.

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