There are new studies that show we actually can change our mental pathways - the phenomenon of neuroplasticity. The TED talk I am hooking up below is an example - not of the studies, but a woman's actual experience. Very inspiring, touching. There are more 'scientific' ones out there for data geeks. Ha ha. Yogananda teaches as well that we can change our actual brain grooves by learning to be conscious of our thoughts.
Steve, I think that Love is in us all the time. Ever present, ever new. We don't always realize this because our own baser thoughts and perceptions get in the way. Usefulness is a desirable habit, becuase it helps us to focus on giving, loving, being in tune with our deepest nature - which is... Love! I feel Love everywhere, but not always. Sometimes I forget, but that is usually when I am wrapped up in negative thoughts - thoughts that need to be tamed and pruned - like turning one's back on the paper tiger.
i believe some people come in our lives to help us redefine our own realities. i am always open to that possibility with others. That to me is part of love... growing, expanding my own limited conception of who i am. Sometimes though i have just drove down the street and this tremendous feeling of love has welled up inside me. Sometimes not even coming from any person but from nature and some mystical experience coming from within. If it is there much of the time for you... then it is not dependent on a person or a certain situation. That would b nice. i watched the video... and can relate to some elements in it. i believe i was a slow learner as a child... i lived in my own world. i guess i just 'learned' how to do it in a more constructive way as i found out about meditation and spirituality.