Of Love and Other Demons

I don't think that it's any secret that G.G. Marquez is one of my favorite authors.  I borrowed the title of his book to sum up everything that's been going on lately.

The novel, "Of Love and Other Demons," affirms both the necessity and power of love, but also questions our ability to handle this unique human emotion. It can give us strength, transform us in ways that are both good and bad, or destroy us.

Every now and then, disagreements and arguments ensue in a relationship, and feelings get hurt. Every couple has a choice whether or not to let this experience destroy the relationship, or tough it out and learn from the mistakes made.  It all comes down to how much you love the other person, if you're willing to swallow your pride and acknowledge that you've made mistakes.  It's not easy to do any of those things, but it can be the determining factor of your relationship's demise or survival.

The past few days were stressful. When both parties are stubborn and quick-tempered, the communication turns into a heated argument.  A big thanks goes out to Mi Pancita Garcia, who reminded me that forgiveness is an important component of a loving and healthy relationship.  The ability to forgive is something I will never master in this lifetime, but certainly something that I am working on.  I'm not bitter by any means, I've already dealt with that. I am being completely honest with myself and everyone when I say that because of the experiences I had in my previous relationship, forgiveness is not my strongest quality, but one that I am consciously working on.

I'm not looking for perfection. There is no such thing.  I'm glad that Paul is man enough to tell me that he will make an effort to change some things, and I promised to do the same. Our relationship is a work in progress, but for the most part is a beautiful symbiosis of our lives.  I'm thankful that we were able to overcome that rough patch and grow with this experience.