I thought Love is a beautiful thing; thought being in love is the most amazing thing, the best feeling in the world!  If so, why is falling in love so terrifying theses days?  I remember one evening, as we were having dinner, my sister though she was of the consent age almost had our hearts stop when out of the blue she blurted out "I’m in love!”

"What!” We all chorused! ‘I’m in love’, she slowly repeated. Food almost chocked our mum! "What are you talking about?” She asked after gaining her composure.

"She’s kidding,” I injected, for some reason I wished I was right! But the look in her eyes confirmed my fears.

The loud silence that followed was so eerie that it made the ticking of the wall clock sound like a Cathedral bell!

After what seemed like eternity, Dad asked, "Are you serious?”. Punctuating our reveries. I don’t know what others were thinking but the moment the words came out of her mouth, I fast-forwarded the days, at best I saw Martha (my sister) coming home one day, with heavy pregnancy and tears flowing down her cheeks sobbing how the father of her unborn baby disowned it!

Or at worse, I pictured her lying on a hospital bed with mum holding her trembling hand after the Doctor announced the sad news of how she’s HIV/AIDS positive. Bassically, the word love was synonymous with heartbreaks, rejection and infection.

Truth is, I wanted my sister to fall in love but I was worried about the outcome. Falling in love leaves us naked and susceptible like a tortoise without its shell. Being in love means giving someone else everything you are and hoping they will keep hold of it with a tight grip.

Nowadays many people are afraid of falling in love or being loved. It’s true, love is a frightening journey but it is also a wondrous one. Today my sister is married to that same guy she announced years back and they have two beautiful daughters. Had she listened to us, maybe she’d have ended in the wrong arms. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that falling in love is not for the faint hearted. And no matter how scary it is, it’s the only thing that matters in life.

It is very difficult to try to stop falling for someone, and you must first examine why you feel like you shouldn’t just let yourself fall for this person. Is it because someone such as a friend or family member wouldn’t approve of it, or is it because you have legitimate personal reasons such as not enough time to devote to loving someone else.

Whatever the case may be, choose accordingly and wisely, you don’t want to live the rest of your life wondering what may have been. However, you also don’t want to live the rest of your life thinking it may have been a mistake to let yourself fall for someone and start a relationship when you weren’t necessarily ready. Examine the situation carefully and make decisions based on your heart and mind.
martin.bishop18@yahoo.com