Does Love Mean Cheese?

“I think… if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts.”

– Leo Tolstoy

A friend of mine is aiming to publish her second book later this year about gratitude. Specifically, the book will consist of letters of gratitude with a focus on love, written by a selection of people. She has asked me to be one of those people. The letters will offer a broad idea of love and what it means to different people, at different ages, in different parts of the world etc…

I’m supposed to give my own unique definition of the word/emotion, write about a personal experience, a lesson I have learned from it and how I am grateful for its teachings.

I’m super flattered she asked me, and at first was really excited to let my idea of love pour out onto paper. But then I sat with it a little more and thought, what unique perspective can I offer from my own experiences that might speak to someone in an inspirational way? This one word, this VERB is going to be hard to put into words. Hard for me that is, because I am much better at feeling my emotions than explaining them.

In C.S Lewis’ book The Four Loves, he talks about four Greek words that describe different kinds of love: Storge—affection, Philia—brotherly love, Eros—romance and Agape—unconditional love. It’s a beautiful book.

So I’ve been thinking a lot about these different types of love, and how they exist in everyone’s life on various levels, and include their own set of complications. But the more I look at the canvas of my life, even though love, and defining love, is complicated, for me it is at the same time fairly simple…

Love means being there. I’d go into it further, but then I wouldn’t have a letter to submit.

With that I can start to put pen to paper, in cheesy me fashion.

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Speaking of cheesy… 

Tonight is the night for grilled cheese. I should have really posted this last Sunday because it was International Grilled Cheese Day. My little brother got a free sandwich on the street. This one is a bit fancier but very tasty…

Dubliner and Berry Jam Grilled Cheese Sandwich
(Makes 2 sandwiches)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons salted butter, divided into thirds
4 slices crusty artisan bread
3–4 ounces Dubliner cheese, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
3 tablespoons berry jam (raspberry, blackberry Jam)

Directions:
1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and add one third of the butter. When the butter has melted and the foaming subsides, add the four slices of bread and cook, occasionally lightly pressing down and moving each slice of bread with a thin, flexible spatula (to enable more even toasting), until pale golden brown on the bottom side, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.

2. Transfer the bread to a cutting board, with the toasted sides facing up. Arrange the slices of cheese on the toasted sides of two of the slices of bread and spread the jam evenly over the toasted sides of the other two slices of bread. Create two sandwiches, with the jam and cheese sandwiched in the middle.

3. Return the skillet to the heat over medium low and add another third of the butter. After the butter has melted, add the sandwiches and cook, moving them around occasionally, until they are a deep, golden brown color, about 5 minutes. Remove the sandwiches from the skillet with your spatula. Add the remaining butter, and when it has melted return the sandwiches to the skillet with the toasted sides facing up. Cook, moving them around occasionally, until the second sides are a deep, golden brown color, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Sweet and Savory!

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Now, a lovely and peculiar movie suggestion for you…

While We’re Young

 

Again…ADAM DRIVER. And Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts are pretty cool.

The sun was really shining today so I had a few beers.

Fresh Squeezed IPA – It’s SO tasty.  If you like a hoppy beer,

I hope you are able to find it in a liquor store near you.

Memorable quote…

It wouldn’t make sense for me to send you emails now when we’re in the same room all the time. – Josh (Ben Stiller)