Why Do We Do Things That HURT Us?

why do we do hard work outs that push us and leave our bodies hurting the next day?

why do we stay up late completely sleep deprived studying?

why do we give blood when it leaves us nauseated and dizzy?

why do we work for hours in the yard/garden when its blistering hot?

all these things have one thing in common: they are all things done for a higher cause. They are all things done for a good ending in mind; they are things done with faith that there WILL be a pay off and reason for the struggle.

so... with all this in mind., why do we love?

I'm not going to pretend like I am an expert at this sort of thing, because believe me... I'm most definitely not. I am simply expressing my thoughts based on both my own experiences and what I have observed around me. Not meaning to sound like a downer, but with love... there aren't always guarantees. Sure there aren't necessarily guarantees in the things above either. The blood you give in hopes that it will go towards saving a life could be given to someone who ends up dying the next day in spite of the donated blood. Or maybe the late night studying doesn't help your test score... the extraneous exercising leads to injuries... and the garden still doesn't work out despite the hard work..maybe there's a drought? But the BOTTOM LINE: these things most definitely do have a stronger sense of consistency.

Love can be both intangible and gratifying at the same time. Love is inevitable, yet sometimes we go out of our way to avoid it. But why would we try to avoid something so unavoidable? Without love what is the point of life? The answer? ...For fear of pain. The fear that the pain experienced due to loving someone WON'T have a higher cause, that it won't have a happy ending.. THAT'S what holds people back sometimes. The fear that if you keep holding on, the other may let go first. So to save yourself the possible affliction... YOU simply let go. To keep yourself safe. Or you never really completely hold on in the first place. ...But are you really saving yourself? Or are you just holding yourself back from happiness?

Sometimes there is the opposite. A fearless perseverance and a hope inside of us that keeps us reaching and fighting for that ever so elusive butterfly called love. Sometimes there is an internal determination that moves us. Sometimes we actually let our HEART lead our feet. When this happens, when we aren't letting ourselves hold us back.... we take a leap of faith. And hope that someone will be there to meet us halfway through that leap.. to catch us. We pray that leap of faith that leaves us completely vulnerable will be worth the risk in the long haul. That it will bring us that sense of security, knowledge that we are loved in return.

Sometimes when that leap is taken for naught and we end up free falling, it can be hard to bounce back right away or at all. Now our memories of the past are what keep us hesitant from making such a move again. But that hesitancy CAN be overcome. and MUST be overcome if we ever hope for true happiness in life. Standing at the edge of the ocean with one foot half heartedly in the water will not bring joy. It could bring safety... but we will always have the 'what if' factor in the back of our minds... of what COULD have been. "A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships were built for..."

We know we must take the risk at some point. We must open up completely to experience that undeniably genuine joy. But I believe that no matter what hurt and trials we must first overcome before finally getting hold of that ever so elusive butterfly called LOVE ..no matter how long it stays within our grasp....no matter how long it takes us to muster up that confidence to step outside of our comfort zones.... it will undoubtedly be worth the leap. It will be worth the pain. It will be worth the fear.

....."IT" will be worth everything.

loves! -brookie