‘Tis better to have loved and lost
than never to have loved at all.

My guess is Alfred Lord Tennyson knew a thing or two about love. I agree with his sentiment, “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Love is a transformative, powerful thing, and to be able to express that to and with another human being is the prize of life.

No matter if that human stays or goes.

Relationships teach us a lot about ourselves. Our hopes, our dreams, our limitations, our expectations. They teach us about how we get along with others, who we vibe with and who we don’t…and why.

They teach us about what we accept or tolerate, and what we refuse to.

What we trust and don’t trust.

They shine a light on our insecurities; the vulnerabilities we choose to expose and those we choose to hide.

They either hold us hostage or set us free.

We can learn something from everyone. Add a special intimacy to the mix and the lessons run very deep.

The biggest lessons come when we see ourselves in the other person, our reflection in their eyes. When we see our own actions in their behavior. When we see our truth in their truth.

We can open ourselves up to this insight—the penetrating similarities—or deny it. But when we deny it, we close our eyes to introspection. When we discern it, we let in empathy and self-love, because what we love in others, we love in ourselves.

My last relationship taught me a lot about love; loving and feeling loved. Loving without condition, loving with condition. Loving to escape. Loving to rescue. Loving to find, loving to be found.

Loving for all the reasons love isn’t, and loving for all the reasons it is.

Continue Reading..