A Year Rooted in Love: Reflections Inspired by The Path to Love

By Victoria (Tori) Martinez

At the beginning of each new year, I choose a word to carry me through the year. This year I chose a word that felt both tender and terrifying: LOVE. Not the easy kind that is wrapped in romance and pretty affirmations. The kind that asks you to sit with yourself, to reflect in the quiet moments, to push through the hard moments, and notice how you’ve chosen to love and be loved.

Somewhere between cold snowy mornings with a cup of tea and the cozy evenings by the fireplace with the kids, a book found its way into my hands: The Path to Love, by Deepak Chopra. As I began to read through the black and white print on each page, I found prompts that didn’t rush to deep love, but the kind that simply invited me to pause, breathe, and listen. To ask of myself and the universe what I wanted from love.

Some might call it fate; others might call it a blessing. Whatever you choose to call moments of synchronicity, this was one of those moments. This blog post is about that invitation and what began to unfold when I said yes to doing the work of love every day.

As I sat with my blue journal in hand, I slowly wrote down the prompts mentioned in the book. Then gently and mindfully crafted my response to each, with deep intentionality and after much reflection. I invite you to do the same. Find a cozy spot, where you can write, meditate, pray, and reflect uninterrupted and go through each prompt below.

Love is meant to heal:

I want love to heal the animosity between me and …

I want love to heal the relationship between me and…

I want love to heal …

Love is meant to renew:

I want to renew the attraction between me and my spouse.

I want to renew …

Love is meant to inspire us with its power:

               I want to be inspired …

Love is meant to make us certain without doubt:

               I want to be certain about…

Love is meant to bring peace:

               I want peace about…

Love is meant to harmonize differences:

               I want love to harmonize differences between…

We all want to be loved, but the act of slowing down and asking ourselves how, can feel a bit vulnerable. That kind of reflection takes courage. Loves doesn’t begin with grand gestures: it starts quietly, with deeply knowing ourselves, with daring to hope, with the willingness to believe we are worthy of gentleness. From there it’s about showing up for love even on the days that feel hard. And woven through all of it is the most important work of all: learning to love ourselves with the same care we so freely give to others. If you’re feeling called to explore that practice more deeply, I’ve shared the journal that’s been working with me on this journey.