By Christopher Emmanuel
Talking to some friends on the island about opening their hearts to date again, it struck me how many people choose to shut down their hearts to finding love. Once hurt by love it seems many people forgo relationships and rather play it safe. But being safe is not evolution. Our evolution is back to our source of unconditional love. And we are all here to learn and experience.
Like Alanis Morissette’s song says, “You live you learn, You love you learn, You cry you learn, You lose you learn, You bleed you learn, You scream you learn.” It doesn’t matter what you do you are going to learn, but the beauty if learning in love is the feeling of joy you take with you.
There is a risk to evolution just like a risk to love; yes you might avoid suffering and sorrow but your risk is greater without loving like the poem below states.
The Risk of Love
There is a risk involved in everything
Every time you share a smile
Every time you shed a tear
You are opening yourself up to hurt.
Some people tread slowly through life,
Avoiding the closeness risk brings,
Sidestepping the things they cannot understand
Turning away from those who care too much-
Those who care stay too long,
Those who hold too tightly.
There is never an easy way to love
You cannot approach it cautiously
It will not wait for you to arm yourself.
It does not care if you turn away
It is everywhere, it is everything.
Love is the greatest of all risks.
It is not reliable, it is not cautious,
It is not sympathetic
It is unprejudiced and unmerciful.
It strikes the strongest of mind,
And brings them to their knees in one blow.
Even in the best of times, love hurts.
It hurts to need, it hurts to belong,
It hurts to be the other part of someone else,
Without either of your consent.
But, from the moment it overtakes you,
It hurts worse to be all alone.
The risk of love never depletes;
It grows stronger and more dangerous with time.
But, it is in the total surrender of all defense,
That we, no matter weak or strong,
No matter willing or captive,
No matter what, we truly experience love.
Despite the many things love is not,
Outweighing it all are the things that love is.
Love is surrender without a loss.
It is a gift without the cost.
It consumes your every thought and desire,
Every breath you take.
It is the fire that fuels you
To do more than pass through life;
It urges you, instead, to live.
No matter the outcome, having felt love,
You will never be the same.
It may scar your heart and soul
And leave you only memories of forever.
Or, it may cause every day of your life
To feel like there is no need for tomorrow.
But, love is worth it. It is worth the risk…
For in all of life,
Love is truly the only risk worth taking.
Kris Hydmore
Books by Christopher Emmanuel can be purchased at his Art Gallery in The Sunbreeze Hotel, Art of Touch, Pages Book Store, Black Orchid Spa and Sol Spa.
