sal_amanda | You asked for it

nick requested some insights i have learned from life experience. here are ten of them. i invite others to add theirs.

1) never, ever, ever assume that the other person knows what you're thinking. maybe they do and they just need to hear it. maybe they think they do and they just need to be reassured. maybe they just don't.

2) don't let past hurts build walls that you yourself can't get past when something great comes along.

3) forget that "if you love someone, set them free" crap. fight for the one you love.

4) don't use the excuse that you're trying to protect the other person when pushing them away. it always means you're trying to protect yourself.

5) in addition to #4, don't make other people's decisions for them. if they want to be with you and you want them to be with you, then be together. simple as that. enjoy the consequences.

6) don't make situations more complex than they need to be. it really can be as easy as just being. forget all the bullshit excuses for why it can't work. just be and just be happy with it.

7) "it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." i didn't come up with that, but it's true.

8) related to #7, don't be afraid of love. share it with reckless abandonment. if you spent your whole life worrying about getting hurt, you'd never do anything at all other than think of the "what ifs."

9) should you get to the unfortunate point where things must end, end it. don't let it drag on because you're trying to be "nice" by saving the other person from pain. that's not nice. it's evil. give that poor person some closure already so they can move on.

10) listen to your heart (i mean, really listen) and follow where it leads, even if it's illogical. love doesn't make sense. that is what's so frigging great about it.