I am a hardcore morning person who sleeps at around 7-8 PM and wakes up as early as 4 AM. This is my normal, and most of the time I’d have my mornings all to myself until I have to go down, have breakfast, followed by my assigned chores, and begin the day. On my mornings, I’d usually watch YouTube videos and do some writing. But starting December last year, my mornings hadn’t been the same. My mother, started experiencing tendinitis on her left arm. Chores which we usually shared were now delegated mostly to me.

Currently, my mom still has 7 days left of IV antibiotic infusions. She has a heplock in her hand and that’s on top of her tendinitis, all these makes any form of activity harder than usual for her. My mornings no longer have the free time I used to enjoy. I would get up with a list of chores in mind—watering the plants, feeding the dog, cooking breakfast, or finishing up on whatever chore that wasn’t finished the day before.

I don’t mind doing chores, I like the physical activity. With the exception of cooking, which I’m not very good at, chores fall on things I have neutral feelings about or enjoy. However, I do miss being able to watch my YouTube and write on my journal. Luckily, I have Podcasts to listen to. And the one I’ve been enjoying which I chose because of the Christmas Season is called This Is Love.

It isn’t hard to guess what the Podcast is about, however, it isn’t your typical romantic stories. This Is Love, tells stories of love in all shape and form—the lineage of wolves, a 17-year old swimmer encountering a baby whale and bringing it back to its mother, the first male primary ballet dancer with African descent, a blind man and how his dog helped him escape the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 9/11, the story behind the song ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, and many more. This Is Love shows us that love can be found in all things, in unexpected places, in the work we are passionate about, in animals, in music, and of course, in people.

This podcast has been my companion while doing chores and as I listen to the episodes, I also feel that whatever I’m doing is my own story of love. ♡