Love

 I saw these words and they touched me.

There are a variety of reasons why love doesn't become a long term relationship. This doesn't diminish its potency, it's truth. Relationships are no walk in the park. Two people, coming together with their own body-mind full of stories, beliefs, past experiences, hurts and fears. To walk together is a choice. To love all of them is a choice - including all the challenging parts to them, including all the imprints that they have based on their upbringing, all the triggers. To walk with someone is to commit to listening deeply and to be devoted to understanding their past experience so as to be able to show up with awareness of their pain points and be able to support them in their healing process wholeheartedly. Of course this can only be done when you have looked at your own pain points. Our capacity to hold, love and understand another is a direct reflection of our capacity to hold, love and understand ourselves. Love is simple. Love is sweet. Love is essential. Love is inconvenient. Love is challenging. Love is medicine. A friend and I were discussing our desire to be in relationship where we meet challenges with lightness. How can we create a space of love, curiosity and playfulness when we meet these parts of us? How can we embrace all parts we meet ourselves and together in relationship? How can we and our partner move through triggers and challenges with grace and lightness? We are all human after all. No one is unscathed. I'd love to hear your thoughts?