The People We Love Are Only On Loan To Us

We’ve got to love people so hard while we can.

So hard.

Because there are no guarantees that we’ll get a tomorrow. That we’ll get to say the things we want to say and do the things we want to do. The truth is, we can wake up on a random Tuesday morning and find our entire world has caved in. Imploded. And we never even saw it coming.

Loss hits us in the back of the head like a bullet.

The people we love are only on loan to us.

Maybe I have a loose mouth. Maybe I say too much, but it’s better than saying too little. That’s what loss has taught me. Do not shut up. So I love a little recklessly, because it’s better than the alternative.

And it feels really good.

Have you ever stood on the shore looking at the ocean and just the anticipation of how cold the water will be stops you from jumping in? That’s what it’s like.

We let the anticipation of pain prevent us from ever jumping in. But once you plunge yourself into the water, it’s like being baptized and you feel alive and refreshed instead of paralyzed by the cold. And as the water drips down your face and as your body tingles, you shake your head because you can’t believe you were ever afraid to do this.

So, I say just jump in.

Life is so quick. If you love someone, tell them. If someone makes your day better just by being alive, let them know. Leave nothing unsaid. Don’t make excuses for not communicating how you feel.

Yes, it can be scary. Being vulnerable is scary. But I promise it’s not as scary as waking up and realizing it’s too late to hold someone’s hand. To tell them they’re magic. To dance with them. To kiss them. To take a long drive with them. To rest your head on their chest. To count the freckles on their nose while they’re sleeping next to you.

There is no excuse good enough to not do this. Because they might not be there tomorrow, or even five minutes from now. Or, maybe you won’t be.

That’s how quickly it happens. We don’t get to keep people. They’re only on loan to us, and we don’t know how long the terms of that loan are.

So we’ve got to love people so hard while we can.