How to fall in love.

It sounds so easy.

When Snow White recounts her Prince Charming, one of the dwarves asks her if falling in love was hard to do.

She answers, “Oh it was very easy!” in her high-pitched sing-song voice. But is it?

If you want to fall in love, here are a few ways how:

Be vulnerable.

Have you ever looked at a flesh wound? Or a fresh cut?

Imagine your emotions and heart being that open. Raw. Bloody. Pulsing. Sliced.

Falling in love requires being open and vulnerable. Leaving yourself open to everything good that love will bring.

And everything bad. Infections. Fights. Hurt. Wounds that don’t quite heal.

But isn’t the experience worth it?

One hopes so.

Listen

Listen to your heart. And head. They should speak in sync when thinking about someone you might love. If your heart says yes and your head says no, there might be a reason. The person could be suspicious.

Or you could be paranoid, afraid, and worried about being…

vulnerable.

Listen to the voice of sanity inside of you. The peaceful voice that does exist. It’s there. If that voice says yes, take the chance.

Love is like jumping off a cliff without a rope, hiking gear, or a landing pad.

It’s diving down and experiencing every moment as it comes. Not projecting what will happen or what didn’t happen but rather, experiencing every moment as it comes to you.

 And with that said…

Remove the padding.

Your baggage will always be there. We all have it. It follows us around like our shadows. But don’t let it dictate your future. It’s okay if your past provides some sort of guide, but don’t let it shut you down.

We may hurt, but we also grow, learn, and evolve by loving someone else other than ourselves.

Believe you deserve it

If you don’t believe you deserve it, you won’t get it. It doesn’t matter how hard you bend, petition, or beg for it.

Believe you deserve to be loved because you do. Because we all do.

There is an ass for every seat as someone I know dearly always says.

Your baggage may be heavy for the woman you left behind but the woman ahead of you may find your baggage light.

Allow yourself to love yourself and let others love you.

You’re amazing in your own right. We’re all a little crazy. Some of us more than others, but we have the right to be our own special crazy.

No matter how hurt I have been. How lonely I have felt. How small. How ignored. How flawed and imperfect.

I still believe in love.

Even if it sometimes hurts.

Maybe I am naive. Crazy. Too idealistic. Romantic. Hopeless.

It’s worth the journey.

When you get there, you’ll know you’re there. It will feel raw, vibrant, scary, and safe all at once.

You might even think you’re crazy.

And maybe we all are.

xo

Laura