A stranger's reply reminded me of the job.

As most of you know, one of my joys is creating signs using recycled wood, painting them with my stencils of various LoveYou2 sayings, and hanging them in public places without permission. I do this in the highs and lows of life. It’s a ritual. A prayer. A devotion.

In the early days of hanging the signs on the chainlink fence outside our apartment over a decade ago, I remember being self-conscious and only hanging the signs at night, sneaking away as if no one would know who was placing these DIY messages on the fence. But sneaking around takes so much planning and effort. And over time, I came to realize if you do things on purpose, no one pays too much attention to what you are doing—particularly as a white woman. 

I experienced delight and surprise watching out of our apartment window as people stopped by the chainlink fence. They smiled seeing the signs, they took photos, and seemed to be texting or emailing the photo to someone. It was the early social media days, like you found treasure hunts on Instagram, and our fence became one of those spots. Those early observations of people’s interactions with the signs (along with the hundreds of messages I have received online) gave a “proof of concept” that there was an exchange in this process. I post my love. You find it. You share it onward. 
 

The #GetLoveGiveLove infinity loop.
 

I no longer need to see these interactions, to have the proof to know it is happening. I learned to trust it many years ago. I don’t think about the details or the mechanics of it anymore. I call it #GetLoveGive love. It’s the infinity loop of exchange, what happens to this giving without attachment and expecting nothing in return. 
 

Life in transition. 

As the LoveYou2 project was one I started for and with my kids, I did wonder what would become of it once they grew up and left home. I wondered about a lot of things about myself once they left home and figured those questions would answer themself in time.

When we lost our home, that apartment by the chainlink fence, in the fire two years ago, there were many more questions and some big answers. One answer was: You have everything you need. And we did, as no one was hurt and our community enveloped us with care. 

I am a person who looks for signs (pun intended) so I did see anything that we were able to salvage from the fire as some sort of omen. My box of LoveYou2 stencils was salvaged. I took it to mean, I would keep going.

I’ve settled into a new apartment and the kids are young adulting. I pulled out the box of stencils, dragged my supplies to the sidewalk, and using the reclaimed wood donated from my neighborhood Buy Nothing group, just like old times, I created a batch of signs. 

I’ve been back in the #GetLoveGiveLove business, doing my job of promoting new ways of thinking and feeling and considering our connections to each other wherever I might catch your eye, wherever you might be paying (or not paying) attention.

Imagine my delight when a friend recently texted me this photo — someone wrote me back. They said thank you. To the message we all need.  I got goosebumps. 

It was a reminder that the #GetLoveGiveLove infinity loop, that exchange is still here. You are still here. There is still this infinity loop of love to give and to receive without attachment. And yes, you will be utterly surprised when it does one day come back to you.
 

Join the #GetLoveGiveLove adventure. 

Have you downloaded a free LoveYou2 flier? You can join in the #GetLoveGiveLove adventure. Download, print, post a flier. See what happens in return.