Have you ever taken a risk in your life that hurt you, but you know it was worth it because in the end you grew from it?  I know I have: love.  Love is a feeling that is felt in the heart, debated in the mind, and lived through the soul.  Love can be found in a heartbeat, and lost just as fast.  Which makes it a risk like none other experienced.  There is no greater risk to take that is not worth it in the end.  I know from first-hand experience how wonderful love can be, and just how painful it can be when it is ripped from the grasp of the heart, but it was a risk I was willing to take.


My freshmen year of high school, I started dating a boy and soon after I fell in love; I fell as hard and fast as my heart would carry me.  My heart skipped several beats when I saw him across the room, I could barely breathe when we were together, and I got butterflies in my stomach if we sat too close.  I was head over heels in love with him, I was positive of this.  I knew that this was different than any other short-term boyfriend I had had before him, loving every minute of this fairy tale.  I did not want it to come to an end.


However, this love story does have an end.  The day after Valentine’s Day we broke up, and my world crashed down.  I was only fifteen at the time, but a broken heart is a broken heart.  I had experienced love, and never thought it would end.  That feeling of being in love and being loved in return was like no other feeling I had ever felt before.  I tried for about a month to have him back, but all attempts failed, and I soon gave up.  I did not think I could live without a boyfriend after that, but I soon found out that I could make it.


I lived almost a year by myself, but I made it.  I did not think I could live without a boy, but I did. Then in early January 2005, I met another boy that gave me those exact same feelings.  I was afraid to let myself fall again, but I decided that I did not want to be afraid to give my heart to someone anymore.  I ended up falling in love with him, and we were together for about six months. We are no longer together, but I moved on just fine.  I took a risk to fall in love and get hurt.  Love hurts, but it teaches you so much about yourself, and is like nothing else in the world.  I have learned that I can make it on my own.  Falling in and out of love has helped me realized that I am a strong person, and I thank love for showing me that.