Out on a Limb

"Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is."

-Mark Twain

Mark Twain may have died over a century ago, but some of his words still ring true today.   The above quote is definitely one of my favorites:  "Why not go out on a limb?  That's where the fruit is."  

Why not, indeed?  The limb might seem like a scary place, but the limb isn't what's scary.  It's the climbing.  The climbing the tree, the shimmying out toward the apple--that's the scary part.  The limb, well that's just where all the good stuff happens.  The limb is the place that lets you really feel the wind.  The limb is where excitement, happiness, and fantasy live.  The limb is a good place.  You just have to find the courage to get past the climbing and the shimmying, because that apple on the end is usually worth the effort.

I'll dispense with the metaphor now and move on to real life.  I think love is a limb many people are petrified to climb towards (okay, so I wasn't quite done with the metaphor).  But here's the thing about love:  it's worth going for.  

Don't get me wrong.  Love is scary.  In fact, it's absolutely terrifying.  It's scary because it requires you to willingly give a little piece of yourself to someone else, and that kind of trust doesn't come easy.  It's scary because it can (and often does) lead to pain and tears.  Love hurts.  Always.  Even if just a little.  

But real love, once you find it, is worth the hurt.  Real love overcomes the hurt.  Real love makes your heart grow to bursting and fills you up with so much happiness that you can't imagine ever having been without it.  

So what if you have to kiss a couple frogs to find your prince?  So what if you have to go swimming in some tears before you find the right person to wipe them away?  It's all worth it in the end.  That's why you have to go out on a limb....because it is far better to reach for the apple and find it rotten than to have never reached for it at all.