Can't deny it.

A man sitting with his only daughter turns to his friend and says,

"She can do whatever she wants. She just can't fall in love."

The temptation to turn around and yell at him was digging deep inside me. The urge to turn around and say to him, "That's not how you let her grow," was aching.

A parent, a sibling, a friend, anyone doesn't or shouldn't tell you, "You're not ready for love."

None of us ever will be. Love is great and it sucks all at once.

It's not something you take a class on.

It's not something you buy in the dollar section of Target.

It's not something you bake in the oven.

It's not something you wait for a certain age to be, like getting your license or rent a car.

It's something you learn.

It's something that slaps you so hard in the face it bruises you.

It's something that takes you so high up and knocks you so far down before you can rise again.

It's beautiful and ugly.

It comes in many forms.

Each building us for the rest of our lives. It's something that you can't ignore and deny.

I know, I've tried it all.

I've shut down.

I've ignored the calls.

I've hit it with my car.

I've run.

But it caught up with me and got up.

And took hold.

I surrendered to it.

I've let it in cause there is no stopping it.

It's lovely.

And for that man to deny his only daughter of that is cruel. I know and I understand he feels he is protecting her, but she a growing woman. She is at the point on life where she should set out for new heights and wonders.

Life is a journey.

Love is part of it.

Good and bad. We are all meant to go through it.

It's just up to us to make it out alive.