The Best Bring Out The Best In You

I was once terribly terrified by dogs.

I could barely move the moment I saw a dog.

And now, I cannot imagine living a life without having a dog.

And that's the sort of thing that happens when you allow the love of another to transform you.

Some people talk about love as being all about "total acceptance" when deep down we all know there's no such thing as total acceptance.

Everyone has good sides and bad sides, wonderful sides and terrible sides, and to be honest it is the fact that we as human beings are so multi-faceted that makes finding that someone else who connects with you so important.

People connect in different degrees, and from such connections such miracles can occur.

I love dogs now.
I'm not totally unafraid of dogs, that's for sure, but I definitely don't feel the urge to flee the very moment I see a dog now.

And that's another truth about change.  It takes time.
Learning to stop trusting in the fears.
Learning to start listening to your heart.

There's so much love in the world that people sometimes think they should demand for the one true perfect love.

But by doing that, they actually set themselves in little boxes that say I want you to deserve me, rather than say I deserve someone who gets me the way I get him.

And that's the true kind of love that I think people need to relearn and embrace.

A love much like that of a dog's.
It isn't unconditional.  It isn't without its demands.

The conditions are that you do your part in caring and nurturing it.
The demands are that you respect it and know its worth.

Sometimes, it might require you to make a fool of yourself.
To step outside your own shoes and see things in their perspective.
 

Other times, it requires you to be the braver one. Be the source of strength.
Be the foundation of courage.

It digs deep in and tell you that you are loved.
That you are beautiful.
And you realize those are the same things you want to say in return.

It teaches you to communicate both with words

and with silence.

With hugs.

 

With just being close by.

Ultimately, the best love brings out the best in you.
It makes you want to spend each day trying to be even more of a better man than you were before.
And reminds you that yes, sometimes you fail, sometimes things don't work out perfectly, but life goes on and happiness is always within you in the memories you share and with every new shared experience you now create each day.

I guess that's why I don't think I ever want a cat.

At least, that I can say for certain for now, right Rocky?