I was walking through a rustic furnishings store in River Creek, New York, last week, and this saying painted on a board caught my eye:

Oh, I thought. That’s a good one. Too many people hold back on expressing love toward others because they’re afraid of not getting the love back again or fear being rejected. This is a selfish sense of love, of course, because true love is never afraid. It just gives without ever thinking about what is coming back or not coming back. But, nonetheless, many struggle with what true love is and short circuit their experience of it. They hold back when they should be pouring forth. Love loves. That’s what it does. Like the sun shines–unconditionally, beautifully and fully, with no strings attached.

So, if you’re holding back for fear of what others may think, do or not do, let those fears go and experience the incredible blessings of what loving unselfishly brings. Don’t let hurts of the past circumvent blessings that are possible today. The hurts are all human ego stuff that is not healthy to hold onto anyway.

Love without fear. It’s the happier more progressive way.