Keep Yo' Heart

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not perfect. 

My heart has gotten me into plenty of situations where my mind has had to be strong enough to get me out of.

My mind was forced to choose discipline, sanity, peace, and above all.. myself, over the many misconstrued perceptions of love.

I choose to love. 

It's never based on my feelings for the moment. It definitely plays a part because I'm not absent from feeling things but my feelings can switch up at any moment. However, just like my word.. my choices are a bond that can't and won't be broken under any circumstances. 

My Love is different.

Love isn't always logical. Love doesn't always make sense. Love doesn't always mean you'll be happy every second, minute, and hour of every day.

Love isn't always beautiful.

 

Love sometimes means you'll have to choose. 

Does Love even have a meaning?

I mean, of course we can look up "Love" on google and it'll give us some cliche bull about deep affection of some sort but what even is that? lol 

I find myself thinking about that question often. The word in itself sounds peaceful, fulfilling..it sounds like it has no expiration date, everlasting. 

&sometimes I halfwit myself into thinking love is supposed to always be such a lovely thing.

Love is a choice, man. Love is deciding to STILL love or CHOOSE something or someone despite your momentary feelings of dislike or disdain for it or them. Thats when all the love you say you have for something or someone really kicks in. It's easy to say you love something or someone when things are great. However, people never fail to show their true colors towards someone or that "thing" when times are difficult.  It's easy to shove something or someone off or out of your life the moment things aren't the best. The moment you feel "overwhelmed." The moment it becomes hard. That's literally so easy to do and all of us are guilty of it. But is that really love though?

Not to me.

That type of "love" is based on too many conditions.

That's basically having someone tell you "I'll love you until you piss me off" or "I'll love music until I'm not making any money from it, then I won't love it anymore" 

Doesn't make sense, right? 

Is Love a feeling or a decision?

 

Love is just what it is, Love. 

There isn't a currency for it. 

There isn't a time limit on it. 

There aren't any conditions or restrictions to it.

It's literally love. 

It's a choice.

Feelings aren't forever. Feelings are in fact, conditional. But choice? a decision you grant yourself to make when the odds aren't looking the best. Choosing to still project and give love when you've been mistreated, taken L's, and you've been fumbled. That's a decision. 

But.. it's easy for me to just say that in a world where Love comes with so many conditions. It's even easy for me to say people who believe that Love comes with conditions or have a different concept of what it actually is, are wrong but they aren't. 

Love is what a person knows it to be.

Our experiences shape our beliefs. 

Everyone who reads this won't agree with me and I'm perfectly okay with that.

Sometimes Love isn't great. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes Love causes you to miss out on opportunities. 

Sometimes sacrifices are the best love has to offer. Sometimes hurting people closest to you. People that you know would never hurt you, is the best love someone has to give.

It isn't always fair.. I've never met a person that had nothing to lose at the expense of their love for someone or something. You're always going to lose something. That's what makes it a "choice".

I'm still learning that.

I have a close childhood friend who's incredibly intelligent. He's always had dreams of becoming an attorney. That's something we've always bonded over because we have similar interests in law. Law has always been what he's wanted his career to be centered around since I can remember. He's the epitome of what dedication means. But.. his love for music isn't just a "feeling" it's a choice, like I previously stated and I'll tell you why.. 

He's literally a beast musician. He plays multiple instruments, awesome at production and engineering, all around GIFTED. He's sick. I'm telling you. He graduated from undergrad and several  months later he got into a great Law School Program that he's been hoping he'd get into since before we started undergrad. (I told y'all this man is incredible) However, his love for music..is indescribable. He turned down his offer into Law school to pursue music full time. 

Sometimes we sacrifice for a love only we can understand. Dreams only we can see. 

Sometimes those dreams only we can envision and see in our minds are God's way of telling us "It's Possible". 

He wasn't promised an instant and "overnight success" career in music when he made his decision. He wasn't promised a life without financial worry. He actually wasn't promised anything when he made his decision. 

But instead.. with that decision he basically said "I will CHOOSE music even if I do have to worry about my finances a little", "I will CHOOSE music even if I'm not too certain of where I'll be 10 years from now regarding music", I will CHOOSE music even if I face hardships and moments of stillness within the industry". That's a choice and that's what makes it Love.

My point is.. it's easy for us to feel great and say we love someone or something but what about when there's a decision that has to be made? What about if you lose something that for so long you've been comfortable with at the chance of you filling a part of your soul that certain things or people will never be able to reach ?

It's not always easy.. but Love isn't supposed to be easy.

You only live once. 

Love should't come with any conditions. Love shouldn't just be for the moment.

Regardless of the cards people choose to deal you, make sure the hand you play is always out of love. 

Some opportunities you don't get twice. 

Some people you don't get twice.

But through it all just remember to always..

Keep Yo' Heart

Keep it pure

Never hurt someone if you can prevent it.

Never miss out on an opportunity or a person you may never get to experience again. 

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none"

...

Nas