The "In love" phenomenon...is it just a myth?

Do you know what it feels like to be in love? I do! I don't even know if I have the words to describe this feeling. However, I will say that being in love comes with risks. Because in order to achieve this "in love" feeling, you have to open yourself up to the vulnerability that comes with it. You have to let your guard down and take off the masks. You have to be exposed. And sometimes exposure can leave you unprotected. That can be scary. Especially if you've been hurt before in your past. 

Before I met El, I knew hurt. It lived on my street. It parked it's car in my garage. However, the more I got to know El, I was able to kick hurt to the curb and say good riddance forever. ...Or at least that's what I thought. When we first got together, I exposed myself to El in a way I had never exposed myself before. I was completely vulnerable and open. I took off the "bullet proof vest" that covered my frail heart and tossed it in the garbage. I was free. I was open. I was ...well...I was in love. ...And...then...my whole world came crashing down. Like Sade says...it hit me like a slow bullet (Where was that dang vest? Oh I had tossed it in the garbage). I was so in love with you. You rarely see a love that's true. Wasn't that enough for you? Wasn't that enough for you? I would climb a mountain. I wouldn't want to see you fall. Rock climb for you and give you a reason for it all. ...hit me like a slow bullet...

Photo courtesy of Keith Jefferson

So I ask you again...is the "in love" phenomenon a myth? Is there such a thing as being truly in love? I think so! Yes! But if you never take off your bullet proof vest and open your heart, you'll never truly experience it. I will admit I had to get another bullet proof vest after I got hit. In fact, I didn't just get another vest, I built a brick wall around my heart. Impenetrable, just like Fort Knox. I had a heart of stone. Not even cupid's arrow could break through. But God! (God can always break through) God restored our marriage and restored our love. Not only do we love each other, but we are in love with each other. 

Once again, I tossed that bullet proof vest aside. Why? To truly experience love again. And this time...well this time, it's so much better than before. If I was wearing the vest this time around, I wouldn't be able to feel the penetration of El's arrow to my heart. So am I open? Yes! Wide open. Will I get hurt again? I don't know. It's possible because I'm exposed. But that is a risk I'm willing to take for love. True love can only occur when you are wide open. So El, hit me with your best shot. Fire away!  

Photo courtesy of Keith Jefferson