Love like you've never been hurt..

I was lying in bed this morning and noticed this cheesy embroidered plaque my mom sent me that says, "Work like you don't need the money, Dance like no one is watching, & Love like you've never been hurt." And I laid there thinking about that last line...do I love like I've never been hurt? Is that even possible? If you've been hurt in the past is it possible to ever love again like you did the first time? I'm not sure that it is? When you've been hurt you build up walls and tell yourself that no one will ever make you feel that way again. When entering into any future relationship it is certainly a battle to open yourself up to loving someone and letting someone love you. It seems to me that its human nature to protect yourself first. On the other hand, it is also part of our human condition to be loved and to have those feelings reciprocated. I think that it is with some difficulty that we fight through the haze of past relationships and love with an open heart. Like any problem I think awareness is half the battle. Taking the time to recognize what issues may have carried over from the past will help open us up to a better future. I don't think that this pertains to just relationships romantic in nature. My most heart wrenching "break-up" was with my best friend from college. The demise of this friendship has certainly put me on guard and has kept me from thinking of other friendships in terms of "forever." You think you can be so sure of something but it isn't always the case. I'm not bitter but certainly more careful. I still look back to our memories with a certain fondness that she was there to serve a purpose in my life-- for a time. And believe me it took me a long time to get there, to not feel deep anger and sadness at the mention of her name. With that in mind, I think that we choose our reactions to situations. We choose how life affects who we become. While it may take us time to work through something, it is our choice whether we wallow in it or work to overcome it. We can become bitter and blame our parents, our ex-boyfriends, and our ex-friends for who they have made us. Ultimately, we become who we choose to. While yes, our life experiences and those who have joined us along this journey have a definite influence on the final product, we can choose to change. I want to love like I've never been hurt (in all relationships) because I deserve all the good things this life has to offer me. I hope it is indeed possible...for all of us.