While we’ve shared the wildly inspiring, ecstatic and love filled words of Sufi poet Hafiz for years, who would have thought how incredibly relevant and fitting the words from this 14th century master’s poem With That Moon Language would be in the face mask wearing world we live in today. First, Hafiz taps into a universal human truth, at least for us, the desire to be loved – Everyone you see, you say to them, “Love me.” – which for many of us has only been intensified by a zoom filled world with less human contact and opportunity to seek out and/or satisfy our need to be loved. And while Hafiz accurately states we don’t say “Love Me” out loud – whether it’s for fear of someone calling the cops or perhaps the greater fear that our love won’t be returned back – we often say “Love me” without words, we say it with a smile. We put on our “love me” smile when we pass people on the street, go to our local coffee shop, restaurant, gas station, store, getting rung up at the supermarket – and if you’re like us, you love getting that “I do love you” smile back in return. And then last year and the emergence of the facemask changed everything – don’t get us wrong, we see the merits of wearing a facemask on a cold winter day and while we’ve developed a profound/puzzling appreciation for facemask fashion, it has completely robbed us of that smile we have become so reliant on to tell folks “love me”, to satisfy that great pull in us to connect.

And then Hafiz drops this on us—

Why not become the one who lives with full moon in each eye, that is always saying, with that sweet moon language, what every other eye in this world is dying to hear?

Whether Hafiz meant it literally or not, his words are just the right ones for these times— at the most basic level by making eye contact we acknowledge and recognize another person, by holding their gaze we can convey so much more— understanding, gratitude, empathy and of course, love. Even with a facemask on, our eyes show when we’re smiling.

So next time you’re rockin’ your favorite facemask and have the good fortune to be in the presence of other humans, what’s it going to be, will you be the one to to live with a full moon in each eye, to say what every other eye in this world is dying to hear?