❤️ ❤️ Pocket Hearts | A Cozy Bedtime Story About Slow Living, Valentine's Day Self-Love

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00:00:02,029 --> 00:00:07,540
Welcome to The Slow Life.
I'm Jennifer Vino and I create,

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00:00:07,590 --> 00:00:12,000
narrate and design the
soundscape of this village of

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00:00:12,010 --> 00:00:15,770
cosy stories to relax and
unwind.

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00:00:16,810 --> 00:00:20,180
Each week I share an original
story.

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Read 2 times so you can relax
even more during the second

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reading.
I also create micro experiences

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00:00:31,750 --> 00:00:34,510
inspired by the stories you
hear.

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00:00:35,550 --> 00:00:40,840
These are short, gentle reading
moments designed to help you

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00:00:40,850 --> 00:00:45,720
slow down and rest in the
village for as long as you like.

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00:00:46,950 --> 00:00:52,160
They're available now to enjoy
on screen or on paper,

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00:00:52,310 --> 00:00:59,460
individually or in small bundles
through the slow life.ca under

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00:00:59,470 --> 00:01:05,489
the Shop tab.
Let's settle in with some easy

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00:01:05,500 --> 00:01:11,890
breathing at your own pace.
With each inhale, let fresh air

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00:01:11,900 --> 00:01:14,350
fill the space around your
heart.

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00:01:15,900 --> 00:01:21,790
With each exhale, feel the calm
air spread through your body and

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00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:28,560
flow out through your arms and
legs, gently in through your

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00:01:28,570 --> 00:01:36,650
heart.
Gently out through your body, in

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00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:42,410
through your heart, out through
your body.

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00:01:45,300 --> 00:01:53,390
And now let's begin.
This story is called Pocket

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00:01:53,400 --> 00:02:00,910
Hearts, and it's about a package
delivered shaping things by hand

21
00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:10,130
and a small reminder.
I pull my sweater further around

22
00:02:10,139 --> 00:02:17,170
me as I step outside to bring in
the mail, breathing in the air

23
00:02:17,180 --> 00:02:23,540
that's crisp with winter.
A few neighbors are out touching

24
00:02:23,550 --> 00:02:28,440
up their front steps after the
dusting of snow that fell

25
00:02:28,530 --> 00:02:33,910
overnight.
There isn't much mail today, but

26
00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:38,630
it does hold a small padded
envelope I recognize

27
00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:44,550
immediately.
I carry everything inside and

28
00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,210
set it on the kitchen island
beside my tea.

29
00:02:50,010 --> 00:02:55,000
The kettle is still warm on the
counter, and a faint thread of

30
00:02:55,010 --> 00:03:00,500
steam whisps in swirls from the
spout as I walk by it.

31
00:03:02,410 --> 00:03:07,700
I take my time opening the
package, pulling carefully along

32
00:03:07,710 --> 00:03:10,810
the seam so I don't tear it too
much.

33
00:03:12,350 --> 00:03:16,530
Inside are the curving gloves I
ordered last week.

34
00:03:17,900 --> 00:03:23,530
I'm as excited as a gardener
opening the seed catalog as soon

35
00:03:23,540 --> 00:03:28,740
as it arrives.
They are soft with textured

36
00:03:28,750 --> 00:03:31,630
grips across the palms and
fingers.

37
00:03:32,530 --> 00:03:37,620
When I slip them on, they fit
snugly, making my hands feel

38
00:03:37,630 --> 00:03:43,910
steady and capable.
I flex my fingers a few times,

39
00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,740
testing them, noticing how
easily they move.

40
00:03:49,700 --> 00:03:55,230
I stand a moment longer than
necessary, hands resting on the

41
00:03:55,240 --> 00:04:00,630
island, aware of how something
so small can shift the whole

42
00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:05,450
day.
I hadn't planned to carve today.

43
00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:10,010
There are other things that
would have used my attention.

44
00:04:10,890 --> 00:04:16,959
A notebook open on the table, a
book with a ribbon marking my

45
00:04:16,970 --> 00:04:21,570
place.
None of it is urgent, but all of

46
00:04:21,579 --> 00:04:27,230
it is waiting ready.
When I am still the gloves

47
00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,020
arrival feels like an
invitation.

48
00:04:31,570 --> 00:04:36,920
I take my tea into the living
room and sit facing the window

49
00:04:37,310 --> 00:04:42,700
watching the birds, taking turns
at the feeders placed in perfect

50
00:04:42,710 --> 00:04:47,910
view.
February has settled in fully

51
00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:51,690
now.
Shop windows are filled with

52
00:04:51,700 --> 00:04:58,000
paper hearts and pink displays,
careful arrangements of gifts

53
00:04:58,010 --> 00:05:02,570
waiting to be chosen out of
habit.

54
00:05:02,660 --> 00:05:07,750
As I'm sitting, I reached into
my sweater pocket and find the

55
00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,630
small piece of driftwood I keep
there.

56
00:05:12,130 --> 00:05:17,690
I found it years ago on the
beach, worn smooth by water and

57
00:05:17,700 --> 00:05:21,640
time until every herd edge
disappeared.

58
00:05:23,490 --> 00:05:29,760
It's no bigger than a coin, flat
and pale and unremarkable to

59
00:05:29,770 --> 00:05:34,710
anyone else.
I turn it between my fingers,

60
00:05:35,020 --> 00:05:40,200
feeling its familiar surface,
warmed now by my hand.

61
00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:47,610
I don't know exactly why I keep
it, only that I love the way it

62
00:05:47,620 --> 00:05:52,420
feels.
It weighs almost nothing, as dry

63
00:05:52,430 --> 00:05:56,760
and small as it is.
I never would have been

64
00:05:56,770 --> 00:06:02,150
searching for something like it
the way I searched for sea glass

65
00:06:02,210 --> 00:06:07,100
or bigger pieces of driftwood,
so finding it felt extra

66
00:06:07,110 --> 00:06:11,900
special.
Looking at my curving gloves in

67
00:06:11,910 --> 00:06:17,820
front of me, a thought arrives.
What if I made something like

68
00:06:17,830 --> 00:06:21,800
this?
Something small enough to carry,

69
00:06:22,250 --> 00:06:27,650
something shaped by hand,
Something meant to be touched

70
00:06:27,660 --> 00:06:31,700
and kept close rather than
displayed on a shelf.

71
00:06:33,450 --> 00:06:36,860
The Valentine theme seeps into
my mind.

72
00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:43,570
A pocket heart.
I finish my tea, the thought

73
00:06:43,580 --> 00:06:49,360
percolating for a few minutes.
I find myself smiling at the

74
00:06:49,370 --> 00:06:54,740
idea and head down the hallway
to the cupboard where I keep my

75
00:06:54,750 --> 00:06:59,980
supplies.
Inside, neatly stacked, are the

76
00:06:59,990 --> 00:07:02,760
blocks of basswood I've been
saving.

77
00:07:04,110 --> 00:07:09,910
Light coloured, soft green,
reliable and easy to work with.

78
00:07:11,460 --> 00:07:15,980
I choose two pieces and take
them to the island where there's

79
00:07:15,990 --> 00:07:21,560
lots of space.
I spread out my tools, slip the

80
00:07:21,570 --> 00:07:25,660
gloves back on, and set the
blocks in front of me.

81
00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:33,450
For a moment I simply look at
them, pieces of wood that I've

82
00:07:33,460 --> 00:07:36,740
learned to shape into many
different things.

83
00:07:38,140 --> 00:07:42,290
It's a hobby that keeps my
thoughts only on the task at

84
00:07:42,300 --> 00:07:46,450
hand.
I sketched the outlines in

85
00:07:46,460 --> 00:07:52,590
pencil, as I saw my favorite
Carver do in her video, letting

86
00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:55,420
my hand move without
overthinking.

87
00:07:56,700 --> 00:08:02,790
A simple heart, rounded and
squat rather than tall and

88
00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:07,560
pointed.
Something that will rest easily

89
00:08:07,570 --> 00:08:12,050
in a palm or slip into a pocket
without effort.

90
00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:18,760
When I pick up the knife, my
movements are slow and safe.

91
00:08:20,020 --> 00:08:26,010
The blade meets the bass wood
easily peeling away thin curls

92
00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:28,680
that gather on the place mat
below.

93
00:08:30,420 --> 00:08:35,590
Some wood chips always find
their way further off, so I've

94
00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,610
placed a piece of folded
cardboard in front of me to

95
00:08:39,620 --> 00:08:42,909
catch the little jumpers so they
don't escape.

96
00:08:44,670 --> 00:08:50,300
I pause often, turning the
piece, adjusting my angle,

97
00:08:50,730 --> 00:08:54,730
letting my fingers guide me as
much as my eyes.

98
00:08:56,350 --> 00:09:01,840
The first heart takes shape
gradually, its edges becoming

99
00:09:01,850 --> 00:09:04,890
rounder with every pass of the
knife.

100
00:09:06,430 --> 00:09:12,360
It begins to feel less like wood
and more like something soft to

101
00:09:12,370 --> 00:09:17,380
hold.
Eventually I'm satisfied with

102
00:09:17,390 --> 00:09:19,840
the curves and the thickness of
it.

103
00:09:20,730 --> 00:09:26,490
Not wanting to take off more
than I should, I set this one

104
00:09:26,500 --> 00:09:32,560
aside and begin the second.
The next I curve even more

105
00:09:32,570 --> 00:09:36,910
carefully.
I imagine it resting in another

106
00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:43,040
person's hand, being found again
and again in moments of

107
00:09:43,050 --> 00:09:49,940
stillness, in a coat pocket at
the bottom of a bag, on a

108
00:09:49,950 --> 00:09:54,610
bedside table, beside a book and
a pair of glasses.

109
00:09:56,380 --> 00:10:01,530
When both hearts are shaped, I
remove my gloves and begin

110
00:10:01,540 --> 00:10:06,790
sanding.
This prayer requires bare hands

111
00:10:06,980 --> 00:10:11,890
and not much pressure.
Back and forth steadily with

112
00:10:11,900 --> 00:10:16,560
fine paper, just enough to
smooth the feeling of it.

113
00:10:18,290 --> 00:10:23,220
I like to keep the look of a
hand curved surface with the

114
00:10:23,230 --> 00:10:26,190
facets from each cut still
visible.

115
00:10:27,610 --> 00:10:30,120
I'm happy with how they've
turned out.

116
00:10:31,990 --> 00:10:37,840
I opened the jar of bees wax
salad bowl finish and breathe in

117
00:10:37,850 --> 00:10:43,280
its clean scent.
It reminds me of workshops and

118
00:10:43,290 --> 00:10:48,200
kitchens and objects meant to be
used, not admired.

119
00:10:48,210 --> 00:10:55,050
From a distance, I rub a small
amount onto each heart, watching

120
00:10:55,060 --> 00:11:00,440
the colour deepen, the green
becoming warmer and more alive.

121
00:11:02,250 --> 00:11:08,200
After they sit for a while, I
buff them with a cloth over and

122
00:11:08,210 --> 00:11:13,180
over until they glow gently
without being shiny.

123
00:11:14,850 --> 00:11:18,230
They're not perfect, They're not
identical.

124
00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:24,740
I turned them over in my hands,
feeling their weight, their

125
00:11:24,750 --> 00:11:30,660
warmth, they're softness.
So much love is present in

126
00:11:30,670 --> 00:11:33,550
choosing to care about something
small.

127
00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:40,390
One heart slips easily into my
coat pocket, where I'll find it

128
00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:45,980
the next time I'm out.
The other slips into a small

129
00:11:45,990 --> 00:11:50,680
paper envelope on the table,
waiting for when the moment

130
00:11:50,690 --> 00:11:53,400
feels right to gift it to
another.

131
00:11:54,570 --> 00:12:00,500
A small reminder that love does
not need to be loud, that it can

132
00:12:00,510 --> 00:12:05,180
be held gently and carried with
you wherever you go.

133
00:12:09,710 --> 00:12:11,040
Park.
It hurts.

134
00:12:14,660 --> 00:12:21,090
I pull my sweater further around
me as I step outside to bring in

135
00:12:21,100 --> 00:12:26,550
the mail, breathing in the air
that's crisp with winter.

136
00:12:28,230 --> 00:12:33,780
A few neighbors are out touching
up their front steps after the

137
00:12:33,790 --> 00:12:36,830
dusting of snow that fell
overnight.

138
00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:43,810
There isn't much mail today, but
it does hold a small padded

139
00:12:43,820 --> 00:12:47,120
envelope I recognize
immediately.

140
00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:54,240
I carry everything inside and
set it on the kitchen island

141
00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:59,780
beside my tea.
The kettle is still warm on the

142
00:12:59,790 --> 00:13:05,600
counter, and a faint thread of
steam whisps in swirls from the

143
00:13:05,610 --> 00:13:12,140
spout as I walk by it.
I take my time opening the

144
00:13:12,150 --> 00:13:17,820
package, pulling carefully along
the seam so I don't tear it too

145
00:13:17,830 --> 00:13:22,580
much.
Inside are the curving gloves I

146
00:13:22,590 --> 00:13:28,010
ordered last week.
I'm as excited as a gardener

147
00:13:28,100 --> 00:13:32,190
opening the seed catalog as soon
as it arrives.

148
00:13:34,150 --> 00:13:38,420
They are soft with textured
grips across the palms and

149
00:13:38,430 --> 00:13:42,080
fingers.
When I slip them on, they fit

150
00:13:42,090 --> 00:13:47,020
snugly, making my hands feel
steady and capable.

151
00:13:48,550 --> 00:13:53,850
I flex my fingers a few times,
testing them, noticing how

152
00:13:53,860 --> 00:13:59,470
easily they move.
I stand a moment longer than

153
00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:05,730
necessary, hands resting on the
island, aware of how something

154
00:14:05,740 --> 00:14:08,620
so small can shift the whole
day.

155
00:14:10,530 --> 00:14:15,470
I hadn't planned to carve today.
There are other things that

156
00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:22,120
would have used my attention.
A notebook open on the table, a

157
00:14:22,130 --> 00:14:25,020
book with a ribbon marking my
place.

158
00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:30,870
None of it is urgent, but all of
it is waiting ready.

159
00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:36,390
When I am still the gloves
arrival feels like an

160
00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:41,470
invitation.
I take my tea into the living

161
00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:47,490
room and sit facing the window
watching the birds, taking turns

162
00:14:47,500 --> 00:14:50,740
at the feeders placed in perfect
view.

163
00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,930
February has settled in fully
now.

164
00:14:56,890 --> 00:15:02,290
Shop windows are filled with
paper hearts and pink displays,

165
00:15:03,030 --> 00:15:09,470
careful arrangements of gifts
waiting to be chosen out of

166
00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,750
habit.
As I'm sitting, I reached into

167
00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:17,750
my sweater pocket and find the
small piece of driftwood I keep

168
00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:21,930
there.
I found it years ago on the

169
00:15:21,940 --> 00:15:28,310
beach, worn smooth by water and
time until every herd edge

170
00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:34,430
disappeared.
It's no bigger than a coin, flat

171
00:15:34,510 --> 00:15:38,300
and pale and unremarkable to
anyone else.

172
00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:45,050
I turn it between my fingers,
feeling its familiar surface,

173
00:15:45,460 --> 00:15:52,100
warmed now by my hand.
I don't know exactly why I keep

174
00:15:52,110 --> 00:15:55,830
it, only that I love the way it
feels.

175
00:15:56,950 --> 00:16:01,550
It weighs almost nothing, as dry
and small as it is.

176
00:16:03,010 --> 00:16:06,560
I never would have been
searching for something like it

177
00:16:07,090 --> 00:16:12,190
the way I searched for sea glass
or bigger pieces of driftwood,

178
00:16:12,610 --> 00:16:15,280
so finding it felt extra
special.

179
00:16:16,950 --> 00:16:22,120
Looking at my curving gloves in
front of me, a thought arrives.

180
00:16:23,330 --> 00:16:25,780
What if I made something like
this?

181
00:16:26,750 --> 00:16:31,850
Something small enough to carry,
something shaped by hand,

182
00:16:32,890 --> 00:16:37,600
Something meant to be touched
and kept close rather than

183
00:16:37,610 --> 00:16:43,620
displayed on a shelf.
The Valentine theme seeps into

184
00:16:43,630 --> 00:16:46,560
my mind.
A pocket hurt.

185
00:16:48,210 --> 00:16:53,570
I finish my tea, the thought
percolating for a few minutes.

186
00:16:54,470 --> 00:17:00,100
I find myself smiling at the
idea and head down the hallway

187
00:17:00,110 --> 00:17:03,090
to the cupboard where I keep my
supplies.

188
00:17:04,829 --> 00:17:09,560
Inside, neatly stacked, are the
blocks of basswood I've been

189
00:17:09,569 --> 00:17:14,260
saving.
Light coloured, soft grained,

190
00:17:14,710 --> 00:17:21,579
reliable and easy to work with.
I choose two pieces and take

191
00:17:21,589 --> 00:17:24,730
them to the island where there's
lots of space.

192
00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:31,590
I spread out my tools, slip the
gloves back on, and set the

193
00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:37,400
blocks in front of me.
For a moment I simply look at

194
00:17:37,410 --> 00:17:43,130
them, pieces of wood that I've
learned to shape into many

195
00:17:43,140 --> 00:17:47,450
different things.
It's a hobby that keeps my

196
00:17:47,460 --> 00:17:50,400
thoughts only on the task at
hand.

197
00:17:52,020 --> 00:17:56,770
I sketched the outlines in
pencil, as I saw my favorite

198
00:17:56,780 --> 00:18:01,910
Carver do in her video, letting
my hand move without

199
00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:07,590
overthinking.
A simple heart, rounded and

200
00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:11,000
squat rather than tall and
pointed.

201
00:18:12,470 --> 00:18:18,460
Something that will rest easily
in a palm or slip into a pocket

202
00:18:18,550 --> 00:18:23,730
without effort.
When I pick up the knife, my

203
00:18:23,740 --> 00:18:29,700
movements are slow and safe.
The blade meets the bass wood

204
00:18:29,710 --> 00:18:35,570
easily peeling away thin curls
that gather on the place mat

205
00:18:35,580 --> 00:18:40,210
below.
Some wood chips always find

206
00:18:40,220 --> 00:18:44,870
their way further off, so I've
placed a piece of folded

207
00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:49,490
cardboard in front of me to
catch the little jumpers so they

208
00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:54,800
don't escape.
I pause often, turning the

209
00:18:54,810 --> 00:19:00,840
piece, adjusting my angle,
letting my fingers guide me as

210
00:19:00,850 --> 00:19:05,920
much as my eyes.
The first heart takes shape

211
00:19:05,930 --> 00:19:11,880
gradually, its edges becoming
rounder with every pass of the

212
00:19:11,890 --> 00:19:17,120
knife.
It begins to feel less like wood

213
00:19:17,230 --> 00:19:20,390
and more like something soft to
hold.

214
00:19:22,150 --> 00:19:27,180
Eventually I'm satisfied with
the curves and the thickness of

215
00:19:27,190 --> 00:19:30,560
it.
Not wanting to take off more

216
00:19:30,570 --> 00:19:36,320
than I should, I set this one
aside and begin the second.

217
00:19:37,690 --> 00:19:40,840
The next I curve even more
carefully.

218
00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:48,340
I imagine it resting in another
person's hand, being found again

219
00:19:48,350 --> 00:19:54,740
and again in moments of
stillness, in a coat pocket at

220
00:19:54,750 --> 00:20:00,690
the bottom of a bag, on a
bedside table, beside a book and

221
00:20:00,700 --> 00:20:06,560
a pair of glasses.
When both hearts are shaped, I

222
00:20:06,570 --> 00:20:09,850
remove my gloves and begin
sanding.

223
00:20:11,460 --> 00:20:16,130
This prayer requires bare hands
and not much pressure.

224
00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:22,280
Back and forth steadily with
fine paper, just enough to

225
00:20:22,290 --> 00:20:27,840
smooth the feeling of it.
I like to keep the look of a

226
00:20:27,850 --> 00:20:33,100
hand curved surface with the
facets from each cut still

227
00:20:33,110 --> 00:20:36,840
visible.
I'm happy with how they've

228
00:20:36,850 --> 00:20:42,140
turned out.
I opened the jar of bees wax

229
00:20:42,210 --> 00:20:46,720
salad bowl finish and breathe in
its clean scent.

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00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:53,550
It reminds me of workshops and
kitchens and objects meant to be

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used, not admired.
From a distance, I rub a small

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00:20:59,470 --> 00:21:05,260
amount onto each heart, watching
the colour deepen, the green

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00:21:05,270 --> 00:21:12,720
becoming warmer and more alive.
After they sit for a while, I

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00:21:12,730 --> 00:21:18,900
buff them with a cloth over and
over until they glow gently

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00:21:18,970 --> 00:21:24,840
without being shiny.
They're not perfect, They're not

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00:21:24,910 --> 00:21:29,550
identical.
I turned them over in my hands,

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00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:34,620
feeling their weight, their
warmth, their softness.

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00:21:35,830 --> 00:21:40,500
So much love is present in
choosing to care about something

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00:21:40,510 --> 00:21:45,350
small.
One heart slips easily into my

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00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:49,650
coat pocket, where I'll find it
the next time I'm out.

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00:21:51,110 --> 00:21:56,140
The other slips into a small
paper envelope on the table,

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00:21:56,410 --> 00:22:00,340
waiting for when the moment
feels right to gift it to

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00:22:00,350 --> 00:22:04,600
another.
A small reminder that love does

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00:22:04,610 --> 00:22:10,820
not need to be loud, that it can
be held gently and carried with

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00:22:10,830 --> 00:22:17,650
you wherever you go.
I wish you sweet dreams.