Will you be ready?

While watching an old Episode of Sex and the City, the episode where Carrie meets Aleksander Petrovsky for the first time.....I find myself contemplating how much those ladies have been through and where they are as of this episode. Much like our own lives, many of us have been through a lot, had many loves, painful endings and watched our friends change and life change. Along the way, we have choices how to exit and how to renew ourselves. I have seen all versions of this in my friends and acquaintances. Some of them grew, some holed up and erected barriers to protect themselves from further pain and denial, some blocked the pain out, some did their best to bounce back and live life and some have resigned themselves to a life on their very own. It all works, who are we to judge anyone? But for those still holding onto hope for a great love and for a person to share their life with, a poignant question arises. If and when that happens, will you be ready? You may be saying, "well, of course I will be!" But being ready does not simply mean that you have waited for this all your life and it's time. It has a deeper level of meaning. When you feel yourself looking into the eyes of the man you could really love and completely fall for, it is damn scary. It can be so scary that we find ourselves consciously or unconsciously performing little acts of self-sabotage, or staying aloof to protect our ultimate vulnerability. Perhaps as much as we want it or think we do, we have to be ready within ourselves. We have to be willing to face the gretestz fear we know, make sacrifices, adapt, give a little, open those doors, realize it is not just about us but the greater "we", take risks, accept being uncomfortable at times, realize there will be unknowns and go with them. The list goes on. The reality is that when you are looking at Mr Right, it will only work out if YOU are ready to accept the wild ride ahead with every scary demon, bump, that unexpected baggage, turbulence and bad meal that may come along with the flight package!