"It is better to have loved and lost than never to have lost at all." ~ Samuel Butler
For a long time I thought this was utter nonsense. Why is loving and losing better than never loving at all? Loss hurts.
It took me a while, but I finally figured it out. I think.
When you love someone, even if they are the most despicable human being on the planet, it changes you. Love, real love, puts you in the position of wanting to put some else's needs above your own. And that is a wonderful exercise for the inherently selfish human heart.
And when you lose that which you loved, not only do you truly appreciate what it is you had, but it makes you stronger and wiser, too. And, even though you've lost it, your heart will still remember that change it went through when you loved.
The gain is worth the loss.
Published on February 06, 2013 09:35