I thought I loved you, and I was right.

I have never wanted to be so right in my entire life.

With every night and every day —

Every time the earth revolved around the sun

Every time the moon appeared, just to say goodnight

I was here loving you —

Feeding into my bowl of fears

I used to believe

That love was a poison that only fools took

That love was only for the weak

That love was all smiles and laughter, warm hearts and thoughtful gestures

I was wrong

I now believe

That love is a choice

That love is something everyone can find if we open ourselves up to our own vulnerability and scrape away our fears

That love is not only kind and sweet, but that it is also raw and passionate, daring and brave

I used to know

That I was scared to fall in love

That I didn’t want to love anyone like my parents loved one another, I wanted love to last forever

That love is not always easy

I now know

That love is sloppy, and not pristine and perfectly shaped like it is in the movies

That love is commitment, and means holding on during the good, the bad, and the even worse

That loving you is my choice.

And loving you is right.

Yours truly,

c.k.