choose love, always

it takes more courage to keep your heart open than to hide it behind pride.

Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle by Arnold Böcklin. He became fixated on death after his infant daughter died, a personal tragedy that likely fueled the painting’s themes of mortality. The one-string fiddle represents the precariousness of life and the limited time left, as the string could break at any moment. Love, dear reader, before it’s too late.

It’s hard to love openly. You know that. Most of us do. We’ve all given love that wasn’t returned, been kind only to be mocked as stupid, or opened our hearts just to have someone walk away. After that, you start building walls. You tell yourself you’re being smart, being strategic- protecting yourself from pain. You stop giving first. You stop showing affection unless it’s safe. You start waiting to be loved before you love, respected before you respect, understood before you speak. But that waiting kills the soul. For it keeps you locked in self-preservation instead of participation in this grand beautiful life. But you’re no…