My friend from work, a lovely girl with Assyrian roots, who lives in Sydney, wanted to co-author a book with me. The title would be, "One Step Closer." The concept was a natural result of our conversations regarding dating and romantic relationships. Mostly my friend's, mine was on hold due to remarkable circumstances.
We decided that every time she was bold enough to date, if it didn't work out, that was alright, because now she was - one step closer to the man she needed. Instead of moping over a failed relationship, it inspired her to continue living the life that she should. Continue using her gifts and talents, being sociable, always chirpy and outgoing, which was her natural disposition. Men would show up at work to ask her out on dates, it was all a little comical. Sometimes, she let herself be loved, but when it didn't work out, I'd say, "You know what this means..." and she'd finish my sentence, "I'm one step closer."
Why do we convince our cowardly hearts that we don't deserve the best? Our habits of protecting self are useless in the face of accepting or giving love. Are we ready to love only when we've conquered the fear within us? If we treated every setback as a step forward, disasters as aligning us with our purpose, hurdles as challenges that teach us necessary skills, if we regard each mistake as a step closer to a destination - our days would be filled with hope and our stories inspire courage in others to never stop believing.
Love never gives up and life is to be loved. Not parochially guarded against the possibility of hurt, but released to be free in expression. With each courageous move to love, we are - one step closer to perfection.
