Valentines Day & of course the conversation turns to love. Thing is, there are so many of us in so many diff situations as it pertains to love: w a partner, w fam members, w friends, etc.
Some of us are in romantic relationships, & some are single. Some have healthy fam dynamics, & some are estranged from fam members. Some have friendships that’ve stood the test of time where there’s a mutual respect & love that’s developed, while others have had to cut ties w ppl w whom they were once so close.
It’s why I find this quote so powerful. No matter how we love, & no matter who we love, we absolutely make ourselves vulnerable.
Is being IN love diff from the way we might love our parents? Absolutely. Do we love friends diff than we love fam – usually. Diff types of loves develop in diff ways. Some we could even argue, develop regardless of our intentions – think abt a child’s almost natural love for their mother.
The common denominator however, is that regardless of who you love, how you love them, or how it developed, there’s absolutely vulnerability that comes w love.
I think that’s such an impt thing to recognize on a Hallmark holiday like Valentines Day, w everyone’s pics are front & center – seeing the happy smiles of others, etc.
When we love, we’re vulnerable & when that vulnerability leads to pain, we often go numb, or even put up walls. That numbness & those walls can prevent us from allowing other forms of love to enter our world. And it’s not just w respect to where we hear it most often – “not being ready for a relationship, yet.” If we’re scorned by a fam member, it’s often hard to give all of ourselves to the new baby in the fam, or the cousin who married in. All of that is understandable…& dare I say “normal.”
I say all this bc it’s easy on a day like today to compare. What does one person have that another doesn’t? Maybe you have an incredible life partner but no fam relationship. Maybe your fam is tight but you haven’t been open to meeting “the one” (if that’s what you’d eventually like). We’re all works in progress & just bc you can/can’t love now, doesn’t mean things won’t change, & for the better!