A Risk on Forever

by N.S. Perkins

Your presence, your help, and your attention have been my lifeline in this storm.

I’ve always considered myself a hopeless romantic. Reading about love blooming, especially between two people reluctant to it, has always been one of my favorite things in the world. I liked to read about people getting closer and connections being created. I loved to long for a first kiss and dread the eventual fights in the couple’s future.

You have this emotional intelligence that I hope you never lose. Being able to read people without needing them to tell you what’s wrong is the greatest of gifts.

Show your emotions. Cry when you’re sad, laugh when you’re happy, scream when you’re mad, and kiss when you’re in love. You have every right to feel whatever it is you’re feeling, and expressing it can only help to show who you are as a person.

Never forget to have fun. Life can get in the way of your happiness so easily, you don’t notice it has happened until you can’t remember the last time you had a good laugh.

“Because he looks at you the way Daddy used to look at Mommy.”

and I found myself getting lost in the darkness of his eyes, just like he seemed to be in the green of mine.

And so, they had this kind of unwritten rule that whenever it started to play, they had to drop whatever it was they were doing and dance to it together.” She beamed at me. “It didn’t matter if they were working in the garden, or shopping at the mall, or cooking dinner. They’d just stop and dance for a while.”

five: never let the world ruin your heart of gold. No matter how much pain you go through, no matter what is thrown your way, no matter how people treat you, just don’t lose it. You might want to give it up for some bad people, but they’re not worth it. With love and empathy, you can never lose.

“You were caring for everyone, but who was taking care of you?”

Don’t wait until you’re old or sick or dying to appreciate things. Live life to the fullest. Always. Starting now. Look at everything around you, be thankful for it, and enjoy the most of it. Time goes by so fast, blink and you’ll miss it. So never wait for anything. Your moment is now.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” Her voice was strained. I gazed at her, understanding exactly what she meant, even if she couldn’t tell my eyes were only on her. “I know.”

But being highly connected to our emotions also has its upsides. When you’re in love, you feel on top of the world, like nothing can stop you. When you receive good news or spend quality time with the people you care for, you’re elated, jumping on the walls from happiness.

feeling is never a bad thing, no matter how many inconveniences it can bring.

Always embrace your choices. The reason why you made them doesn’t matter; at some point, you thought this was the right thing to do, and there’s no wrong in admitting it.

“I would’ve let you break my heart a thousand times over, just for the chance of getting more of the moments of pure happiness I felt when I was with you. If you’d just given me something, I would’ve given you everything.”

“Falling in love with you wasn’t gradual. It hit me like a tidal wave.”

“I woke up one morning and it hit me that if you ever walked out of my life, it would feel like losing a limb. You were an intricate part of my life, of my heart, and I was undeniably and whole-heartedly in love with you.”

“That was my nickname. ‘Come here, little moon,’ she’d say before tucking me in bed. And, in the past months, when I missed you so bad it hurt, I looked at this ring over and over again, finally realizing that’s exactly what you are to me. My little moon, brightening my path and pushing the darkness away from my life.”