Project Love: Day #6

It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all

Is being in love with someone worth the hurt when we lose that love? Would life be the same without the experience of love? Would we be missing something if we never knew what love was?

In other words, is love really worth the risk?

When you think about it, there is risk in almost everything that we do. But there is no greater risk than the risk of love. Every time you share a look or shed a tear with someone special, you are opening yourself up to both love and hurt. Because of this potential of hurt, some people hold back and tread lightly through life hoping to avoid the risk that love may bring. Sometimes we even end up sidestepping what we aren’t able to understand, or turning away from those whom we care about too much, just to avoid the potential pain that love can bring. It’s a battle that we can choose to fight or choose to ignore.

To me, love is the greatest risk of all. But I think it is definitely a risk worth taking! It may scar our hearts and leave us with only memories, but it is worth it. It may make us sometimes feel like there is no need for tomorrow, but trust me, love is worth it. It’s worth the risk!

In order to be successful at love you cannot approach it cautiously because it will not wait for you to protect your heart. Love doesn’t care if you turn away, it is everywhere. It’s unpredictable yet comfortable. It is reliable yet scary. It’s amazing and hurtful all at the same time. It is also something that can bring us to our knees in one blow. Sometimes even when things are good, love hurts, but I think, more times than not, it hurts worse to be alone.

The risk of love never goes away, in fact, it grows stronger and more powerful with time. But it is with total surrender, be it weak or strong, whether we want it or not, that love often finds us.

And it’s only when love consumes our every thought and desire, or every breath we take, that we often get ourselves into trouble. In fact, I believe that love shouldn’t consume our lives but it should be a part of what urges us to live. I believe you may never know true happiness until you have truly loved just as you may never truly understand what pain is until you have lost love.

So hold tight to your memories and never let them out of your grasp. They are the one thing that time can never ever steal from you.