When You Let Yourself Feel Love

When you let yourself feel love you feel a presence in your heart. From there you have a choice: to brush it off or breathe it in. When you breathe it in it glows like an ember glows when you blow on it. It fills you and takes you to heavenly heights.

Love has the capacity to take our breath away, even when it just touches us on the surface. But from there we have a choice: to brush it off or to breathe it in and allow it to change us forever.

While holding my grandson for the first time I marveled at every little detail. In awe of the perfection of this little being, and feeling graced to have received the invitation to hold my son’s 6-hour-old infant, I was in love.

Then I remembered that there was more. I had a choice to brush it off or breathe it in. Pausing for a moment, I wondered how much more love I could withstand. It was a little scary. Scary, in part, because this much love would likely touch me to tears. Deciding that I was okay with tears, I breathed love in, the tears flowed, and in the absence of fear so did the love.

The world melted away as love flowed freely through us, between us, and all around us. Being in love was being immersed in love. This moment changed me forever.

In this moment, I wasn’t afraid of what this little newborn might think of me. I wasn’t trying to get his love or gain his affection. I wasn’t thinking about who I was going to tell. I had made a conscious choice to not be afraid of what others might think of my tears. I just purely wanted to bond without expectation or anticipation. I was fully in the moment with love.

It is easier to allow love to flow with an infant, in nature, with a pet, or a new relationship because it feels safer. There is less ego involvement, less expectation, hence, less fear. I do believe that with practice, intention and reconcilement of fear these encounters can be more frequent.

If my experience intrigues you and there are no newborns/puppies/kittens in your inner circle to bond with, seek out a place or circumstance where all the elements are pleasing to you. Release any expectation or anticipation. Marvel at the radiant beauty. Then remember you have a choice: to brush it off or breathe it in.

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ~Rumi

This little bundle of pure joy reminded me of how love flows in the absence of our barriers of fear.

Trish Whynot, D.C.Ed.,  has been practicing holistic counseling for 22 years and is the author of “Why Me? Why Now? Why Not? Finding Opportunity in Your Obstacles,” an illustrated guide to living that expects opportunities even during challenging times.  www.TrishWhynot.com.