when we allow
our most
vulnerable & powerful selves
to be deeply seen
and known,
and when we honor the
spiritual connection
that grows
from that offering with
trust, respect, kindness, and affection.
Love is not something we give or get;
it is something that we nurture and grow,
a connection
that can only be cultivated between two people
when it exists within each one of them--
we can only love others
as much as we love ourselves.
Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal,
and the withholding of affection
damage the roots from which love grows.
Love can only survive these injuries
if they are acknowledged, healed, and rare.
Are we practicing love?
Yes, some of us are really good at professing it
--sometimes ten times a day.
However are we walking the walk?
Are we being our most vulnerable selves?
Are we showing trust, kindness, affection,
and respect to our partners to our friends to our family?
It's not the lack of professing that gets us in trouble with our partners,
it's failing to practice love
that leads us to hurt.
To love each other
in the process of becoming real
is perhaps the greatest single act
of daring greatly.
Brene Brown - Daring Greatly