We all have moments in our life that change us forever, whether for better or worse. It could be a death in the family or of a close friend, or it could be a glorious moment like the birth of a child. For many of us, though, the moment that can most change our outlook on life is seemingly much less significant, and certainly is often dismissed by many, but in truth it lies at the heart of everything we do in life.
Falling in love can be the most wonderful thing the world can offer and there’s certainly credence in arguing its pretty much the most important thing to live for. However, the breaking of our hearts is one of the most distressing things any of us can go through as those feelings of loss, rejection, and uncertainty all get rolled into one large cannon ball of emotion.
Putting into words precisely what it is that changes within us when we experience this is something I’ve always found difficult but I think Charlie Brooker finally got it. And I quote…
“Love can be genuinely awful. Worse than the norovirus on a coach trip. When it goes wrong - and it usually does - it kicks a hole in your ribcage and voids its bowels in your soul. Get burned badly and from that point on, falling in love is like inviting a werewolf into your home: you sit there fascinated, watching it eat at the table and admiring your curtains. You make conversation and share private jokes. But try as you might, you’re not quite relaxed and you’re not quite yourself; you’re on tenterhooks, aware that any moment now it’s going to turn round and bite your throat out.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/12/charlie-brooker-relationships
Thank god, then, for the even greater wisdom of Tennyson and his words of reassurance that in a roundabout sort of way sum up the whole temporary nature of our existence and, in so being, are perhaps the most important any of us can take to heart and feed our souls off. Just remember kids, ”tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”.
