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Today's
Meditation:
It's
very hard for me to admit that I've spent most of my life
building and maintaining barriers to love, but that is the
truth of the matter. In my case they've been
misguided attempts at avoiding pain--the pain of rejection
that I knew would come eventually if I ever dared to allow
myself to love and be loved.
That
pain, though, I learned was simply a figment of my
imagination, something that I created myself when I tried
to love conditionally. When I expected something in
return for my love, whether that was to be
"loved" back, to be appreciated, or to be wanted
or needed by someone else, then my love was conditional,
and I was bound to be disappointed in what I saw as a
result of the "risk" I had taken.
Since
I've learned that love is something that is unconditional
and something that isn't necessarily related to the
"romantic" image of love that we're taught from
a very early age onward, I've found that it's much easier
to share my love and to allow others to love me. I
don't have to push someone away who might feel deeply for
me, for I know that such feelings are natural, especially
if I'm treating people with love myself. I do have
to be careful and aware of people who may be
misinterpreting my feelings or intentions, but that's not
the same thing as putting up barriers to love.
Love
is all around, everywhere. And we can become
receivers and senders of love if we just stop spending so
much time and effort blocking it from entering our lives
or from leaving us, destined for others,
unconditionally. Love is a beautiful part of our
lives if we let it be so, or it can be a source of
frustration and pain if we try to control it and keep it
away.
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