For the hopeless romantics.
Love has thus far eluded me, especially in a world and generation as complex and fleeting as ours. I once heard that in our lifetimes, we are destined to experience three significant loves: the first, a tender and naive puppy love; the second, a tumultuous and heartbreaking passion; and the third, a profound and enduring connection, our forever person. This narrative suggests that our love lives are preordained as if inscribed in the stars long before we ever encounter these emotions ourselves. Indeed, to love, to be loved, to fall deeply in love is inherently a gamble, yet to refuse this gamble would be a folly of the highest order.
“Don’t be afraid to love someone. When you fall in love, I want you to fall in love all the way. Even if it ends in heartache, please don’t live a lonely life without love. I’ve been so worried that because of what happened you’ll give up on falling in love. Love is wonderful. I don’t want you to forget that. Those memories of people you love, they never disappear. They go on warming your heart as long as you live.” Days at the Morisaki Bookshop — Satoshi Yagisawa
We must not shrink from the possibility of love. Our fantasies and desires deserve to be realized. Imagine the serenity of sitting under the stars by the ocean, the intimacy of dancing in the kitchen at three in the morning, the tenderness of sharing a skincare routine, or the joy of openly celebrating your relationship. These moments, seemingly corny to the outsider, transform into profound experiences when we are the willing participants. While it is prudent to protect our hearts, outright rejecting love is another matter entirely. While the risk of love includes the potential for heartbreak, the memories created are well worth the uncertainty.
I’ve only been in love once, and true to the archetypal timeline, it was puppy love — a love marked by simplicity, certainty, and shared commonalities. There is an undeniable allure in longing to return to that uncomplicated affection. But, one should not settle for comfortable. Love, in its sweetest form, is a beautiful madness, a force that gently drives us to the brink of insanity, challenging and elevating us in ways we never imagined
“You shouldn’t settle for comfortable, Molloy. You shouldn’t settle for anything less than being in love to the point of madness.” — Joey Lynch (Saving 6: Chloe Walsh)
The pursuit of love, despite its inherent risks, is the ultimate act of faith in the human experience. To love is to embrace vulnerability, to accept that heartache may come, but also to trust that the memories and moments of joy will far outweigh the pain. The magic of love lies not just in the moments of bliss, but in the growth and transformation it brings, in the way it reshapes our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Taking the risk is daunting, but avoiding it might be the greatest regret of all. Personally, I would rather endure heartbreak once more than remain in a perpetual state of limbo, wondering what might have been. The possibility of love will always outweigh the reality of heartache.
