It’s true when they say you’ll never see it coming,
But even if you could,
you would never be able to brace yourself
For the full force with which the gusts of this perfect storm will hit you.

And herein lies one of life’s most beautiful ironies
You can spend years waiting for this feeling you aren’t even sure you will recognize.
Impatiently aching to finally ride the roller coaster of emotions that come
When you simply know that your heart has fallen.

And the moment you stop yearning,
There you find it.
This feeling of bliss,
Undeniably standing right in front of you.
Like a wild flame drawing you deep within its crimson glow,
Each fiber of your being pulled towards its mesmerizing warmth.

You can try to keep yourself from it,
To run and hide from the third degree burns that might scar your heart for years.
But if only you knew of the rarity of this fire
And understood its worth,
You would plunge in headfirst and let it consume you completely.
Offering your whole body on its lofty pyre.
You would allow its heat to seep into your pores and flow through your veins
Replacing the blood within with life itself,
Transforming your DNA till you have wings to fly,
Lungs to breathe underwater and the strength to take over the world.

But you must know that the nature of these flames is that they may last a life time
Or may flicker out and die within the span of a heartbeat.
And because you will fear the cold darkness that settles in
After the final embers are quenched,
You may strive to make it last longer than is natural.
Heaping effort like dry twigs onto the flame to keep it alive.
But if you do you will learn the hard way just how grave your folly is,
Because to do so is to smother this flame and to snuff it out even before its time.

Because this fire cannot be forced to bend to your will.
You can neither spark it into life, nor can you sustain its blaze.
In the light of its power
All you can do, indeed all you must do
Is to fill your heart with gratitude as you allow it to take you to new peaks,
Fully exploring the depths of this joy.
Be aware that it exists only in the moment,
And that the next moment is never guaranteed.
But be content in knowing
That a moment of this ecstasy is more than all you’ll ever need.