Ridiculous.  That’s the first word that comes to mind for me.  Love is such an unimaginable feeling.  You don’t know it until it hits you, and once it hits you, it hits you.  It’s every single emotion you’ve ever known packed up into one tiny four letter word.  It’s euphoric and devastating all at once.  But it’s astounding how one person can cause you to experience such a spectrum of emotions.  I wish I could even begin to describe how it feels..  Somedays it feels like being on top of the world.  You feel like you just want to run and never stop and just scream.  You feel like you could fly.  There’s also somedays where it’s a struggle.  Love is frustrating because it’s such a roller coaster.  It’s aggravating when you feel like your feelings and actions aren’t reciprocated.  It can most definitely be lonely, especially after you’ve fallen asleep with that person, sleeping alone just does not compare at all.  But love is amazing because it’s all worth it.  It’s like when I was little and I would fall down and scratch my knee or something.  It might have hurt, but I would see it as a battle scar, as a chance for me to be tougher.  I would embrace it, and if anything, it would fuel me to play harder.  I loved soccer because I loved the ferocity and fight of the game.  I just wanted to give my all and I didn’t care about getting hurt in the process.  The same can be true for relationships.  There will always be challenges, just like there will always be clumsy moments when you get a scratch or a burn, (trust me, I have a ton of those moments..) but in the end they will all be worth it because they are what fortifies relationships.  I’m willing to risk getting hurt because love makes everything worth it.

I used to question love; I wondered what it felt like and how would I know if I was “in love” with someone.  I was under the impression that you would wake up one day and it would just hit you like a ton of bricks.  And I guess in a sense it kinda does.  My mistake was thinking that it was an emotion, a feeling.  It’s not.  It’s an ability.  If I have learned anything, it’s that love is an action.  To be in love with someone- it’s a verb, not a noun.  You have to be able to accept a person for everything that they are.  You have to be able to take the good with the bad.  And when you do, it hits you and everything else falls into place.  You care so much for that person that you’re willing to do anything just to see them happy.  You’re willing to do whatever it takes to make them just a little less stressed, a little happier, a little more at ease.  You look at them and just realize everything feels right.  Everything that has ever happened to you has led up to this exact point in your life and it all just makes sense.  Every tiny decision, every small event, every big event, everything brought you here where you are now and you realize that there is nowhere else you’d rather be.

I’ve learned so much over the past year.  I’ve grown a tremendous amount.  I used to be so afraid of commitment.  The thought of being “tied down” scared me more than almost anything else.  But I’ve learned that this isn’t being tied down at all.  If anything, I feel more free now because I can finally be my true self with someone.  I’ve learned how to love.  I’ve learned how to be patient and accepting.  I’ve learned how to brush silly misunderstandings aside.  I’ve learned that it’s much better to talk problems out than to clam up and not say anything.  A year ago I was barely grasping the idea of going off to college in a completely new place.  Now I’m so ready to finish school and start my own life.  I want us to be able to be on our own, I don’t want us to both still be living at home.  I’m ready to start my life, and I want nothing more than for you to be there with me.  When I’m with you I feel so comfortable and complete.  I feel like I can accomplish anything and I know you’ll be there to support me with whatever I choose.  You mean the world to me, and then some.  It’s been such a wonderful year with you.  I know we’ve had plenty of ups and downs, but it just proves that we can make a long distance relationship work, and we will beat the statistics that are against us.  I hope I get to spend a hundred million more years with you, because this year has been better than anything I could have asked for.  

I love you Kyle.  Thank you for everything you do for me.

Challenge for today:
Rule #1.
Say not a single unkind thing about anyone or anything. If at all possible, try not to even think a nasty thought. If we do, reflect on why it was that we thought to say it in the first place.

Rule #2.
…Show everyone we cross paths with some genuine human compassion. Be it with a smile or kind words, just spread some love.

Rule #3.
Make not one person the exception to the rule.