Once upon a time, I gave someone some advice. Without filling in the context, the advice was more or less as follows:
"Love brutally and with all the caution of a Great White Shark. Throw yourself into it with wild abandon. Let it out. Love stupidly. You're probably going to get hurt, for sure, but the time before the hurt... damn!"
There is so much more than the obvious advice here. The Great White Shark is a pretty serious fish. It's one of the largest predators in the ocean, and yet they have so many vulnerabilities. They are at the mercy of their environment, for starters. They have to keep moving so as not to die, and that makes nets a serious threat. And they see the world with their mouths. What's this? I don't understand it. Let me bump it with my nose, so very close to my eyes and see if it's interesting... Let me take it into my mouth and see if it is food or not. Let me bring this strange thing inside of me, into a place so very vulnerable and close to my brain. Let me take this unknown thing into me and taste it. Let me see if it is good or bad, soft or spiny, edible or killing.
This is a wonder to me. In order to Grok it's world, the shark must put it's own life at risk. In order to know if this love is going to be a good thing, one must take it inside of oneself, let it fill you up. Only then will you know if it's going to help you grow or going to drag you into the depths of madness. Interesting, huh?
So these days I find myself taking love inside, examining it, turning it over to see if it is good or bad, soft or spiny, nourishing or killing. And what I have in me is most incredible, most nourishing, and more perfect in every way.
Love. Free and Open. Honest. Pure. A Living, breathing creature needing to cared for with tenderness and understanding. I am thankful for all I have close to me and my heart. And I believe that the Great White Shark is a noble and majestic creature that deserves to be respected and revered.
Like I said, if I were a Snapple Cap, I'd say "Be the shark"
How about you?
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Speaking as one who has historically protected herself from hurt for most of her life, this is apropos advice for me. I've come a long way in the last few months of working on this, specifically, I'm happy to say. Thank you for these words to live by. I will be the shark as well. (:
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