By Jill Roberts
The courting ritual of garden spiders involves the male gently strumming the edge of a female’s web in a particular manner. The vibration produced across the web is to alert the female to his interest, and not confuse him as prey. As he soon will brave the risky approach towards her, his fate is determined by her level of trust in his song.
As humans, to offer ourselves to love is also a risky proposition…
Past heartbreaks left me scarred and rigid, and I wasn’t always brave to love. I built walls to keep those who loved me from knowing the more intimate parts of me. It was there, on the edge of emotional intimacy, where I felt protected from betrayal and disappointment. Except, I was starved of love’s full melody.
To love unconditionally, with complete openness and trust; Without promise, expectation, or judgment; And, to pursue always in the belief of the other’s good intention, is the most selfless of human acts. It comes at either the risk of a broken heart, or a journey through sorrow, if death do you part.
Those who have loved and lost, understand what a risky proposition it is to be vulnerable again. A broken heart that once cut deep, is an experience one does not wish to revisit. Yet, to evade the risk of an unfavorable fate, means also to deny oneself the ecstasy of true love.