When warrior meets warrior

We are all damaged, to different degrees and from different sources, but, still damaged.

We are warriors, we just handle it differently.  Some choose to fight the pain and refuse to let it stop us from trying again. Others let it swallow them up, preventing them from knowing something better.

When we meet someone who steals our heart, the effects are instoppable.  No matter what, the heart is in control, not the mind.  When someone can see you completely and accepts you, it is terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. The fear of being hurt is the same for both warriors. The difference is in how we react to the fear. Some will push it back, aware of all the beauty that lies beyond. Others will build walls higher than ever before.

For those who push the fear back, it’s like raging into battle with no armor. You know it’s going to hurt. You know the outcome could be worse than anything you’ve experienced, but, you also know it could be the greatest love you’ve ever known. You can’t stop it, even though the danger is too real.

What we don’t realize is that the walls built by the other warrior are not only to protect them from us…they are also to protect us from them. Their fear if being hurt is as great as their fear of hurting us, because they do love and they do care. In true warrior style, they fear passing on the wounds that consume them.

As heroic as this is, they don’t realize it’s usually too late. Once the heart and soul have connected there’s no turning back. Once you have fallen in love with every aspect of a person (the wounds, the damage, the stitched together heart, the warrior soul), the idea of walking away becomes more painful than torture.

The unfortunate part is they can’t see past their walls. Their fear prevents them from giving us a chance to prove the past wrong. It prevents them from having a fellow warrior to battle through life with, even if they acknowledge how amazing it could be.

All we can do is continue to love them, not that we have a choice, or would change it if we could. We summon up the patience through empathy and compassion to help each other fight our demons. We pray we won’t be left in the dust, shattered heart in hand. We pray they won’t choose to fight their battles alone when we’re standing right here, sword in hand, willing and ready to st and by their side through all of it.

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