4.13.23 // Falling in Love

Falling in Love.
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This week I was asked, "How do I fall in love (with life, with me, with others)?" I gave a quick response, but I feel like this question deserves more.
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Alan Watts, writer, scholar, and philosopher, wrote about love and how funny it is that we say "falling in love" rather than "rising into love." He writes that we use the word falling because to fall is an act of faith, a gamble, a risk. To fall is to show up completely as yourself and surrender to another. Total abandonment and in many cases letting go and giving oneself over is quite mad, but in the madness lies sanity.
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In the madness, lies sanity. In surrender, lies truth. In faith, lies love.
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Falling in love can be terrifying and it requires trust to let go of the reigns and to see yourself fully while letting others see that same likeness.
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But love doesn't have to be grandiose in its "falling."
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It can be falling in love with life's small moments: meeting a straggly street dog, letting the sun kiss your face, laughing with friends, or the first daffodil popping up in the barely unfrozen earth.

It can be falling in love with yourself: admiring your tenacity on a project, being proud of meeting a new friend, taking yourself out on a date at your favorite restaurant, knowing you look damn fine in those jeans, or launching a club (even though you have no idea what it's future is going to look like).
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It can be falling in love with others: the barista who spent a little extra time on your latte, the friend who calls you with deep pondering questions, the stranger next to you on the sidewalk who is fully emersed in the music of their headphones.
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It can be falling in love with life's big moments: quitting something that doesn't feel right anymore, ending a friendship or relationship when you're in a new season of life, finding a life partner, or taking that big international trip.
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Love is surrendering to things, moments, and environments as you are and embracing them as they are. No judgments, no stipulations, and no need to control. Love is choosing the fall, even if you're scared because you know love is worth the risk.