The other day, I was contemplating love and compromise.
I was walking back home from work and I saw a mother whose toddler let go of her hand and ran along the pavement, towards the road. She dropped everything she was holding: car keys, wallet - the whole content of her bag scattered on the pavement, while she chased after him with worry and desperation, understandably. Luckily, the little boy stopped at the end of the pavement. She kneeled in front of him, scolded him gently and hugged him. She closed her eyes, buried her nose in his hair and stayed there, without caring about her belongings, the onlookers or the world around her.
She was hugging him with relief and gratitude.
That passionate, nurturing hug of a mother... That long and tight embrace of someone who would give up everything for you, because you are more precious to them than anything in the world...
And it made me think that, with few unfortunate exceptions, most of the people have that starting foundation in life: the unconditional love.
Yet, there are many unhappy people in unhappy relationships. So, when do people start compromising? When do they start accepting less than they deserve?
I concluded that people compromise when they start feeling fear.
Fear of being alone. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what others would think of them.
And it shouldn't be like that. Everyone should settle ONLY for the person who can give them that passionate and nurturing hug, for ever.
For the person who can bury their nose in your hair and be grateful for your well-being. For the person who doesn't care that their belongings could disappear, because they are holding tight on to the most precious thing of all: YOU!
If you found that person, hold on to them. If you haven't found that person yet, don't settle for less. That special person is out there...