love

my dad loves hallmark movies. i always pretend that i don't even like the blasted things. however, when they are on, i am generally drawn in. i always end up crying at the end and learning something new and insightful. tonight as i've been on the computer trying to work on a few projects, there has been a hallmark movie playing in the background. it has me thinking. is it harder to love, or not to love?

quoting steve carrell from dan in real life, "love isn't an emotion, it's an ability." i've been thinking about this too.

mahatma ghandi said, "where there is love, there is life."

my thoughts - yes, opening ourselves up to love can be a daunting task. if it has failed, it's hard to imagine trying again. it is easier to harden ourselves to the vulnerabilities. really though, if love doesn't work out, does that mean it has failed? it seems to me that failure comes when we let something defeat us. if a lesson is learned then there is no failure. lessons bring opportunity. i think love begins as an emotion. when that emotion starts to hurt, we can allow that to impede our progress, or we can open our hearts to the process of healing, mending, and the ability to feel the emotion of love in a deeper abundance. continuing to open our hearts to love makes life full. to love may be harder than not to love. it takes more of a risk, i know that much. however, i think it ends up being the better choice. allowing ourselves to develop the ability to feel the emotion of love and give our love to others creates a life that is full. the risk empowers us and creates an inner strength that can positively affect our lives and the lives of others. it's true, "where there is love, there is life."

for the record, the hallmark movie is ending and i am crying...