Bitten by the "Love Bug"

Introduction

I was inspired by reading a passage about falling in love from Thomas Moore's book, Care of the Soul. The following piece is what I wrote in response to the passage.

The divine frenzy of falling for another can seem like a fatal attraction in that we lose ourselves, or lose track of who we think we are. Part of the fabric of who we are becomes frayed and tattered, ready to be woven into the fabric of the person we are attracted to - the person who could be our soulmate. All we know is that we are not the same after meeting with this person, our heart begins to beat more quickly when that person is with us. We begin to wonder how we ever thought we were whole before that person became part of our lives. They have opened up the world to us as a type of paradise. We are lost...or saved...and do not want to ever leave this place.

The interweaving of our lives becomes stronger and gains momentum with the exchange of notes and gifts, and with each moment spent together in pleasurable pursuit. The divine frenzy of the laws of attraction is somewhat of a balancing act that seems easier to juggle with our lover there to catch the balls we drop. and joins in the juggle as part of a duet. Our attention is drawn from ourselves, and our altruistic tendencies are bent toward our lover, and also toward other souls who surround us in our day-to-day lives. We are lifted, somewhat like a hot air balloon, as we allow ourselves to be taken by the wind toward uncharted territory. We take a leap of faith, and a leap of imagination.

The object of our passions gives us a new perspective on ourselves, and perhaps we feel the freedom to finally step away from a long-held, even clung-to, persona. This could be because the fabric of the our lover's being matches our own - complements ours. We are drawn to that person because he or she is already on the road to where we are meant to be going, and takes our hand with confidence. Our soul mate accepts us for who we are as an individual spirit worthy of respect. As a result, we become re-enchanted with our everyday lives.

Does that person we are in love with mirror an unknown part of our psyche, the part of us that desires release from old habits and old ways of thinking? Does this "soulmate" tug at the door to our better selves? Yes! Our true lover doesn't give up, but remains by our side with patience and fortitude, pushing us like fledglings out of our nest of comfort. We are lifted toward the sky, where we can soar above the treetops, and above the clouds. Or, our lover beckons us down a footpath that leads to some fragrant garden of delight, a quiet place for spending time away from time. Yes, to touch divinity with another is to touch fresh energy that springs forth from a divine chemical reaction. This divinity knows not time the way the conscious, logical, mechanical world knows it. This form of divinity forms the garden of paradise all over again from the creative spark of lovers.

Divine mirth gives way to divine laughter. Only in freedom can we laugh out loud together. The lover is a source of freedom if s/he is the right person for us. Only those weighed down by hopelessness cannot smile nor laugh. In our "soulmate" we find hope and strength to change, to grow, and to create our lives anew.

In letting go of our outward personas, we become real. We allow ourselves to make mistakes, to be the humans that we are, because we feel safe doing this. Humans are playful creatures, so when we let go we find it more easy to laugh, especially at ourselves.

In the safety of the harbor of human love, we can play with ideas, and decide if we want to make them part of our reality or not. We can look at things that could feel scary, and with our loved ones we can laugh at the absurdity of the events in our day-to-day lives. My daughter loves to use puppets for this purpose. My husband often obliges, and they often make up scenarios that I can join in on while I am cooking dinner.

Falling in love is a one-way ticket to an unknown destination...one at which we are happy to shrug our shoulders and board the train toward this wonder-filled place, full of fun and carefree giddiness, then taken to a new level by the emergence of children.

Yes, children are the gifts that lovers give to each other. A new state of wonder never imagined before is the reward for bringing new life, fresh creation, into the world.