The Practicality of Love

" I caught the happy virus last nightwhen I was out singing beneath the stars. It is remarkably contagious-- so kiss me." Hafiz

Science holds a theory that Romantic Love has a life span of approximately twelve months and no longer than eighteen months.

When did love become a scientific equation? Perhaps therein lies the error.  What would Rumi think or Hafiz or Dickinson?  Does love have duration?  Sometimes what we think is love is actually a symptom of something completely different.  Twelve months, eighteen months or twenty years might be how long it takes for some of us to realize that what we had was a habit or something careless, inconsiderate, hurtful or simply a matter of lust and we thought it was--something more.  Lust without love is empty and fleeting, no matter how we might try to rationalize it.  Habitual relationships can disguise themselves as romantic until we break--the habit and take some distance to look into what we thought we were feeling.  Perhaps what many people experience as romantic love is actually an attraction to something that is latently familiar and familiarity can be everything except love.

Love is personal and surprising.   It cannot be planned, organized or--learned.  When we least expect it, when we are not paying attention, that is when love happens.  That which scares us, embraces us, wholly and without warning. We want to run toward it and at the same time away from that which has reign over our hearts.  For some romantics the love fever removes even cravings for--chocolate.  The aroma of flowers and their encompassing beauty, pale in comparison--to that whom we now love.

Yet we live in a world of  "possessed" love.  Since love cannot be learned or possessed, what is it that we feel the need to control? And why?

We live in a world of "repressed" love.  since love cannot be suppressed what is it that we are trying to prevent from setting free? (Our raw exposure to our feelings?)  

We live in a world where we fear what we want and need most of all--love.

How is it that the very thing that sustains us could be--feared?

Love frightens us because it-makes-us-feel (everything.)

Flowers and chocolate are easy. (especially today!) Smell good. Taste better. (But real love is scary.)

Flowers are pleasing to the senses.

Chocolate is sweet and satisfies us without having --to expose us.

(and we can hide behind it.)

(same with sex.)

 

Sex is less complicated than love because we can escape through the body, where love enters our heart and weaves itself--all-the-way-to-our-mind...

 

Containers are most useful when empty:  cups, caldrons & The Mind.  But the heart is only useful when it is full--of-giving.  Overflowing--with love.

Our heart is vulnerable and porous.  (when opened)

(It is also practical--we see this in The End. In the end we see: Only Love Mattered.)

Our mind is "reliable"pro-tec-tive...and it is costly too. 

(Especially to our heart.)

Our mind is the greatest escape and the most reliable stealer of truth.

Do we really want to lie to ourselves?

(Don't listen to your mind--especially on Valentine's Day.

Listen to your mind, only when (your-heart-tells-you-to.)