Lesson #7 Loving those who don't know how to love back

For many years of my life I was in protection mode. This is a trait either picked up because of two many heartbreaks or by osmosis, hard to decide where it came from for sure.

And to say that I knew it well would be an understatement. Being trained to wait until someone is fully vested until risking anything is a lonely path. Never fully committing to any relationship because there may be pain at the pay off, leaves one semi-alone most of the time.

I no longer consider whether or not someone will love me back as my per-requisite for loving them first. I believe every person I encounter has value in my life. It is up to them to decide whether they will be an asset or a liability to my history, but I love them full on just the same. I believe every person is a child of the universe and each holds the equal amount of treasure to our world. They can give of themselves and be more to those they cross paths with or they can bank and hold on to all that they are in their path of fear. Their fears are probably results of having pain in their lives, and it is not for me to judge whether they are good or bad.

At the end of the day, month, year or relationship, I simply must do an inventory of who you were in my life. You could have been a love, someone who added more to my smiles and memories each time we were together. You could be a legacy, a piece of my life puzzle that changed me forever. Or you were a lesson, someone who taught me about being more, or letting go of you because the cost was too high. Your damage made me feel less than, unloved or unworthy.

You get to decide what you will be in the lives of others, but you don't get to decide for me who you will be in my history. I choose to love you, because I can. Because I am good at it, and because I ask nothing in return for loving you. I allow you to decide your path without drama from me...if you want to hang and learn from each other, I'm all in. As long as you play nice, do not cause damage or otherwise can hang in the parallel world of positivity, I chose to love. Likewise if you chose the other paths, of drama, destruction and hurt, I chose to love...but with a little more distance in our reality. I love you...with no expectations.