Love actually?

I remember being a hopeless romantic who believed ‘love conquers all’ and love was the destination to my journey called life. Love was always the ultimate goal, and the necessity too. Be it that special someone, or family, or friends- love was too big to let anything else come in the way. I was so far from reality, right? I had also been told a few times that I live in a dreamland, and life is not what I think it is. To use exact words, it was called living in a bubble. And eventually, the bubble did break.

I feel very differently now. I don't believe as much, I don't have the same blind faith, I try to keep myself at a safe distance from hurt, and I prepare myself for the worst. Maybe that's what growing up does to you. It shows you the more real but ugly side of love. 

But, we ourselves are a part of the problem here. We romanticize love so much, we make it seem so perfect. And we just forget that the lovers are humans- imperfect creatures, stitched together with flaws. So, how can love stay away from their imperfections? I think we do that because it makes us feel good. Love has been said to have a similar effect like drugs on our brain, and we keep feeding our feelings until one day we realize we have a problem. We ourselves set love up for failure by doing this. We set the bar too high and then we turn bitter when things turn out differently. 

Shouldn’t we be getting better, instead of bitter? 

Yes, love is beautiful. It makes the journey worthwhile. It brings so much joy and happiness. But, don't lose yourself in loving someone- because true love won't do that to you. It's okay to use your mind in love, because that's gonna protect your heart. Real love is not easy. Unlike the movie Love actually, it isn't all sunshine and smiles, it's more like a sine wave- for all the good days, there are bad days too. Just trust your instinct- it's usually right in guiding you. You'll know when the love is true and worth all the effort.