Love could not be kept forever in the third person, past tense.

Mary Lavin

Now, just what is the third person, past tense? I looked it up and found a few examples, just to be sure my English major memory was correct — He walked to the store. She studied for the test. The dog barked loudly. Each example feels faraway, long ago, even adjacent, not inside, or present, or real.

Love is none of that. It is scary to think about — and perhaps a safer option — to walk Love’s path at a distance — at arm’s length, half in, a cool remove. Vulnerability has an edge and a bite, may break things, and asks questions. If we are in the space of a cost/benefit analysis of Love’s worth, is it Love?

Trust and grace and compassion frame Love’s move to first person, present tense. I want to suggest moving Love to first person, present tense is a profound act of courage, an example of being in life’s arena mano-a-mano with the hard things like honesty, forgiveness, shame, pain, and healing. It is getting out of our heads just enough to live full on — taking risks, getting hurt and hurting others, being disappointed and disappointing others, falling apart and back together.

For me, first person, present tense Love is worth it. First person, present tense Love connects, builds, nourishes, sees, hears, and feels. First person, present tense Love is elemental, fundamental, existential, physical, and spiritual. First person, present tense Love seeks joy, notices awe, creates connection, feeds energy, and builds strength.