Hello friends new and old, my name is Kadhi. And I, like you, am a Lover.
Yesterday’s post was shared and saved more than anything I’ve ever posted, and I really felt it’s ripple out there. I spent the day thinking about why Louise Erdrich’s words struck such a chord with so many of us. “You are here to risk your heart,” she tells us. How terrifying! (and exhilarating!) “You have to love, “You have to feel” through it all, she says. “You are here to be swallowed up.” [gulp]
And while we feel a rush of affinity for these declarations (because we’re all Lovers in this way), fear is usually not too far behind. We’ve all been badly hurt at one point in our lives and fear’s sobering voice pipes in here to say “...yea, but!!” Yet Louise’s deep-seated conviction about Love resonates with the lionheart within us that wants to roar back “Love will triumph over fear in my house!” Deep down we’re all romantics in this way. And not movie romantics, but cosmic love romantics. We want to believe that despite all the pain, injustice, betrayal and hardship, love is always beneath it all, there to catch us, buoy us, lift us, launch us and put us back together.
The thing is, it’s not a matter of belief when love extinguishes fear in the heart. It is the truth, fear just erodes our knowing of it. It’s the truth that sweetness is accessible to us even when we are not perfect, even when we stumble, fall and fail. It’s the truth that we cannot isolate ourselves as a way to protect ourselves from hurt.
It’s the truth that life is meant to be lived, the heart is meant to be flooded and shattered and mended and expanded. That this gorgeous mess is our birthright and we’re perfectly suited for this journey.
Louise invites us to show up for all of life, not just the parts we aren’t afraid of. It takes a lot of courage and resilience to stay open and return to Love every time. But mostly it’s about letting our wild, howling, unobstructed heart lead.
Lean into the current of emotion when it rushes through. Borrow Louise’s conviction to help endure the storm, or ask for support if needed. Reach for the sweetness when you can, & share it generously with any and everyone you meet. ♥