"If you do not give right attention to the one you love, it is a kind of killing. When you are in the car together, if you are lost in your thoughts, assuming you already know everything about her, she will slowly die." -Thich Nhat Hanh
One of my favorite times spent with Shawn was driving in the car. I loved to talk and he kindly listened. And on the rare occasion that I would stop talking he would ask me what I was thinking about and why I was so quiet. I would joke with him, "I think we have talked about everything there is to talk about. There is nothing more to analyze." At this nonsense he would jokingly argue, "Never. We will never run out of things to say." And then we would find something new to discuss.
I loved finding out new things about him. I still do. When someone tells me a story about Shawn I have never heard before it feels like I discover a new piece of him and it only deepens what I already love. He is one of my favorite topics. And as when he was alive, I will never tire of learning more about who he was, what he believed or how he shared his life. I am convinced that the best kind of love encircles friendship. The more we want to know about someone – the more we find ourself in love.
