Sometimes You Will Be Foolish In Love, But Don’t Punish Yourself For That

girl with hair in her face, caring too much, don't be so hard on yourself
Joe St. Pierre

Sometimes you will tell the wrong person you love them. Sometimes you will fight for something that was doomed to fail from the start. Sometimes you will show the deepest parts of yourself to a man or woman who will eventually leave.

Sometimes you will trust blindly, and end up broken. Sometimes you will think the best of someone, who will inevitably let you down.

Sometimes you will close your eyes and will back tears, even though you promised yourself to be stronger this time.

Sometimes you will fall harder than you expected and simply lose all control. Sometimes you will wish your feelings away, but watch helplessly as they come back even stronger. Sometimes you will try your best to walk away, but give another chance simply because you can’t stop loving.

Sometimes you will be a slave to your relationships because you simply shut off the way you feel.

Sometimes you will be too much, give too much, care too much. But don’t punish yourself for that.

The world has put so many restrictions, so many rules on how you should love. The world has told you to be less, seek less, do less. And to will your feelings away for the sake of protecting your heart, for the sake of acting ‘mature’ and ‘poised’ and ‘strong.’

The world has said to watch out, to guard, to hold back anything that resembles true emotion, because emotion is what leads you to get hurt.

But why? Without honesty and affection, without sharing what you really feel, how will you ever find someone, something real?

Sometimes you will run into the arms of someone who’s not searching for the love you’re giving. Sometimes you’ll confuse temporary for permanence, and watch as someone slips from your grasp. Sometimes you’ll think you’ve found something true and be powerless to the way you slowly drift apart.

Sometimes you’ll be foolish, giving too much, too soon, too freely. But don’t punish yourself for that.

The thing is, you loved. The thing is you opened. The thing is, you were vulnerable and fearless, showing someone the parts of you you’ve been told to keep hidden.

You trusted, perhaps against your better judgment, for the sake of chasing something that felt right.

And you can’t beat yourself up for that.

You were one of the brave ones, fighting for love in a world that’s searching so desperately for it, but hides nonetheless.

You were one of the tough ones, baring your soul against all caution and fear. You were one of the strong ones, climbing back out of the hole you’d fallen into, learning to love again, and to let someone in.

And now, you’re one of the smart ones, who will take the shattered remains of a broken heart and build them back again. Who will learn that love is not always found in the ways we hope, but that does not mean it’s not worth searching for. Who will forgive and let go and start over again, even bolder this time. Who will love, and keep on loving.

Who will never feel foolish, but daring, admirable, and worthy of the love you will one day find. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

Marisa is a writer, poet, & editor. She is the author of Somewhere On A Highway, a poetry collection on self-discovery, growth, love, loss and the challenges of becoming.

Keep up with Marisa on Instagram, Twitter, Amazon and marisadonnelly.com

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