The path to finding love is not the most painful part of the entire journey—it is not even close. Once you have found it, love can be a thousand times more harrowing to the fragile human soul. Love is not a happily ever after. It is not a destination or a breath of fresh air.

It is the fear that engulfs you when you reach a dead-ended trail. It is the sense of drowning with salt water setting your lungs on fire. It is travelling through a snowstorm with pellets of hail stinging your cheeks. It is having a patchwork heart that has been broken and repaired over and over again.