I'm A Believer

How often do we look at love and see everything that could go wrong and get overwhelmed by it because guess what.. there are a lot of things on that list.

I like an image a friend of mine put up on her blog a while back of a venn diagram displaying how we often feel when searching for love.

This blog post idea came to me at a Neil Diamond concert I went to a couple weeks ago when he sang I'm A Believer. I've always heard the version by Smash Mouth and never stopped to realize the meaning behind the words until that night.

Read them through:

"I'm A Believer"

I thought love was only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else but not for me
Love was out to get to me
That's the way it seems
Disappointment haunted all my dreams

I thought love was more or less a given thing

But the more I gave the less I got, oh yeah

What's the use in trying

All you get is pain

When I wanted sunshine I got rain

And then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried

I think that is one thing that is so wonderful about love-- that despite everything that couple possibly go wrong, it actually works. 

Somehow you find someone that defies all the disappointments and low expectations.

One of my greatest frustrations and joys about love is that it is not completely logical. 

I love making lists and I could sit down and make a list of logical reasons as to why I should love someone specific or why they should love me. I don't think I've ever actually done that on paper but I know I have several times in my mind. We could be the same age, have the same goals, enjoy the same activities, laugh at the same jokes... all potentially logical reasons as to why we would be perfect for each other.

BUT.. 

Love isn't logical.

There's a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants that talks about knowing things in your mind and heart. 

As I've already pointed out-- love isn't just something that works in your mind. It's something that affects your heart too.

I like the way one of my friends put it:

“I can't tell you what it takes- it's more of emotion than it is any logical thing or checklist.”

And that's why it is both a frustration and a joy..

because when everything works in my mind but not in my heart I'm so entirely frustrated.

But when my list is a little emptier that I'm used to, my heart fills in the rest.

It's amazing.

So many possible failures.. and yet somehow it all still works.