Tools for Intentional Living – Dr. J. Nickens

“… and lo! the beast looked upon the face of beauty,

and beauty stayed his hand.

and from that day forward he was as one dead.”

This quote from the story King Kong capsulizes the plight and inevitable doom of the King once he saw, and was thoroughly captivated by the beauty of Ann Darrow.    And so too did the first moment of meeting his future lover come to haunt my client’s everyday moments.   He often talked during sessions about whether he would make that connection if given a chance to do it all again.  Although he had been deeply hurt in unforgettable ways he maintained that he had also experienced the most wonderfully intense moments of passion and uncommon moments of tenderness and caring.  Surprisingly- though perhaps not – he always came to the conclusion that “yes”, he would fall in love with her all over again – and experience all of the agony and ecstasy all over again.

Loving someone is not always easy.  It often is both emotionally uplifting and  emotionally painful.  Yet, as my client attested, love is powerful and can overwhelm even the  most challenging of situations and circumstances.

My client believed that loving someone, come what may, makes a life worth living, and that having loved her had given him the best and worst moments of his life.  Why hate her when he loved her more? Emily Dickinson said it this way:

Love and Hate.

 I had no time to hate, because

The grave would hinder me,

And life was not so ample I

Could finish enmity.

Nor had I time to love, but since

Some industry must be,

The little toil of love, I thought

Was large enough for me.

I think my client had it right and was in agreement with Ms. Dickinson’s spare yet eloquent poem.  Loving may be difficult and challenging at times, yet will always be more uplifting of one’s spirit than will it’s opposite.  Today, turn to the person you love and let them know how you feel.