I recently heard a story on NPR about how educators at Harvard are encouraging curriculum on Love Relationships. This is to be paired with sex education. Made sense to me. For isn't it true- what the world needs now is love sweet love. With social networking taking the place of face to face encounters we become wary of what may potentially be moments of awkwardness. Isn't that a huge fear, that we may become tongue tied or make a fool of ourselves. Guess what.... that vulnerability,
is a big part of what love does. It builds strength and understanding. Being a fool for love is not for the faint-hearted or weak.
When I ask couples what they fell for in one another, the answer has never been insincerity. What is more alluring are those first fumbled attempts at conversation filled with the attraction charged silence. On a text the sweet squirming cannot be communicated. Here is my first lesson on love: AWKWARD IS OKAY infact it is QUITE ATTRACTIVE and AUTHENTIC.
And yes, it can be a cornerstone of a loving relationship.
Fear of intimacy paired with social anxiety, somehow we have become more comfortable talking about relationships and intimacy than actual connecting authentically. As the poet David Whyte says "The conversation isn't about the relationship, it IS the relationship." So let's become more daring and patient, as we open ourselves to true intimacy. Educate ourselves about the mystical working of the heart no matter how inexpert we are. Let's embrace a beginner's mind and explore bravely, learning the lessons of love, one awkward moment at a time.