little acts of love
Before my mum flew back to Canada last month, she slipped me a twenty pound note rolled up in her hand. 'Aw thanks mum' I said. She replied 'your coffee money' and hugged me goodbye. It's always coffee money and it's always at the airport. This started about a decade ago when I moved back to London and every time I left Canada to come back, mum would give me five or ten dollars just before I wheeled off with my suitcase. It wasn't about the amount, it was the gesture. This time at the airport I giggled because I wasn't even the one leaving and I still got my coffee money.
There are so many ways people in your life remind you that they love and care about you through small actions. My Nanima would regularly deliver me a bowl of cut up fruit when I was working away on my laptop. I never requested it, but always finished it without hesitation. The infamous fruit bowl is a well known example for us south asian folks and it warms my heart that so many of us have had this shared experience.
One thing I personally like to do is have a coffee at the airport with whoever is leaving me. It's small, but nice to have simple chats before their journey ahead. My husband loves it when we have a Cafe Nero chill before his work trips, even if that means sipping a flat white at 6am!
In our South Asian Roots Deck there's a prompt that reminds me of this post.
A small gesture that means a lot…
The fruit bowl is actually what inspired this prompt. It's nostalgic for me because it's always our elders who cut up the fruit, and it's always at the family home?! A little act of love that you miss when it stops or happens less frequently.
The little things really are the big ones and I'm sure there are people in your life, including you, who do quiet yet consistent gestures to show they care. Whether it's topping up your water glass, making your favourite food or remembering a milestone every year, everyone has their own way of saying 'I love you'.
