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Mark Crutchfield's avatar

We spend so long chasing love that dazzles, only to realise it’s the quiet kind that lasts.

Asuka, you’ve beautifully captured the rhythm of love here — the rice rinsing, the light holding — turning the ordinary into a kind of liturgy. A gentle beat we all want to feel in our hearts.

Not the banging of a drum, but a rum tun tun — like rain on a zinc roof.

It’s love remembered not as heat, but as warmth that stays in the room long after you’ve both moved through it.

A beautiful, grounded piece that brings a quiet warmth to my smile.

Thank you for sharing your stillness with us.

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Mark — your words always feel like a cup of tea at the right temperature. I love how you caught that rhythm — “not the banging of a drum, but rain on a zinc roof.” That’s exactly how I hoped it would hum. Maybe quiet love lasts because it learns to listen first.

Thank you, truly, for reading with such stillness. You always see the softest parts~

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Mark Crutchfield's avatar

💛 💛 😊 💛 💛

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Rebecca Landman's avatar

Such a beautiful reminder to honor all the tiny love notes we give each other and ourselves through habitual actions 🥰 mine is a self love act - during the pandemic I learned how to give myself a pedicure. Every week, I tend to my own feet. It helps me soak away the past week and ground into now for a better week ahead. Little things like that can really make all the difference, can’t they? ✨

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

That’s so lovely, Rebecca — I love how you said “tiny love notes we give each other and ourselves.” There’s something grounding about those quiet rituals… They remind us that care doesn’t have to be grand to be deep — sometimes it’s just about being gentle with your own feet, your own day, your own breath~

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Rebecca Landman's avatar

May we live in a world where gentle is the first course of action, always 🥰

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Yes~! Word!

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B Philippe's avatar

Ordinary is so special. Beautifully written ❤️

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Thank you, B Philippe — I think so too. There’s a kind of magic in the ordinary~

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Dawnithic's avatar

I thought I wanted a miracle. It was only practice...your key in the dish, my cup turned mouth-down, the door learning to close without a sound. This piece beautifully shows that love isn’t in grand gestures, but in the quiet, ordinary moments that truly stay with us.

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

That line — “the door learning to close without a sound” — stayed with me too. You said it so tenderly, Dawn. Maybe love really is that kind of quiet practice… learning how to stay, how to leave, how to listen to the small spaces in between. I’m really glad it spoke to you that way~

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The Word Before Me's avatar

This made me think of how the smallest routines hold the whole shape of a relationship. The more quiet, steady, and truer it becomes, the less loud it tends to be. ❤️

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Ahh yes, the tiny routines that glue two people together quietly. I love those—like little lanterns lining a path, not loud at all but somehow carrying the whole shape of a heart.

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Nick Hills's avatar

I love your piece! A run on a sunny, icy day among the orange trees and a rain of leaves carried by the wind taught me love again this week. Let's read each other if you like, have a beautiful day!

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Nick, this is such a lovely image — I could almost feel that icy sun and those wandering leaves just from your words. Thank you for sharing that little moment of yours. And yes, I’d be happy to read each other’s work. Wishing you a gentle, bright day ahead.

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Rea de Miranda's avatar

There you seduce me again with rain on a zinc roof. Beautifully written. Your heart shines through.

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Careful now, Rea — I might start believing I have that kind of power~! 🤭Thank you for reading with such an open heart; I’m smiling at your words~

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Devayu's avatar

Joy in routine stuff...

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Yes—joy in the quiet, familiar things that keep the day gentle~

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Sally's avatar

What!!!!! I lost myself in imagination actually. Mmmm,, peace, all I felt with peace, who said it's about huge gestures, it's just simple life

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Oh, Sally — that makes me so happy to hear. I think that’s exactly it~ How peace can live inside the smallest things. Sometimes it’s not about grand gestures at all, just the simple life quietly shining through.

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Daniela Grothe's avatar

Your sleeve brushes mine — it's that gentle touch that says: I trust you.

A subtle change, as if someone passing by had touched a lantern with the sleeve of a fine-knit jumper, helping unnoticed — which now glows quietly and warmly.

Because, who needs fireworks, when we get applause for some ordinary thing we do which tells them I'm there for you, just like the gentle raindrops on my own roof now.

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Oh Daniela, this feels like a little lantern left by the door. The way you described that touch — sleeve and light meeting — it’s so gentle, it almost hums.

You caught what Lantern Lesson was trying to say, softly and truly. Thank you for this glow before I go to bed~ which is soon, haha ☺️

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Daniela Grothe's avatar

My comments reflect the feelings of that day, occasionally referring a memory or even including a post title of mine, where I see fit. „Helping unnoticed“ is what life does on commenting here, too…

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Leo thee Lemon's avatar

Such simple tasks. But just be sure to be present while doing them.

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Leo, honestly? I love how you just slipped in here like a gentle supervisor of the universe going, “hey hey, do the simple things, but be here for them.”

And you’re right — presence turns a tiny task into a whole little moment~

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Leo thee Lemon's avatar

I’m glad you loved that.

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Glenn Winters's avatar

So beautiful and gentle and observant. ❤️

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Thank you, Glenn — I just tried to catch the soft parts of the moment before they slipped away. I’m really glad it came across gently to you~

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Gary L Taylor's avatar

Fantastic words and a great sentiment there. A reminder that love is often about the small gestures and ordinary actions and everyday rituals.

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Thank you, Gary — I think love hides best in the quiet habits. The small rituals no one notices until they’re gone — that’s where all the magic lives~

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JGWunderlich's avatar

You captured the intimacy of everyday moments with such clarity and warmth. Beautiful writing.

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Ah, you caught me — I’m a bit obsessed with those tiny everyday moments that pretend they’re ordinary~

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Hina Gondal's avatar

What a beautiful message hidden in these words ❤️🫶

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Thank you, Hina — I’m so glad the words found you that way~ 🌙

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Moll Moonlight's avatar

Another triumph of pared-down beauty. Lovely.

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AsukaHotaru's avatar

Thank you, Moll. I always wonder if the quiet pieces still reach someone — so your note means a lot tonight~

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Moll Moonlight's avatar

I think the quiet pieces travel slower but further and deeper. This will keep sending ripples!

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