Love is Stronger Than Pride

The interesting thing about twitter is it puts you in contact with so many different people from everywhere. Ive developed a sister like bond with one of my followers. Shes about the same age as my sister and we have developed the kinda relationship I always wanted with my own sister but that's another blog topic.
Anyway these last few weeks we have been discussing a relationship she is in over gtalk. Shes involved with a guy and is developing feelings for this guy and is fighting it tooth and nail. From what she tells me he is a nice guy and hes definitely into her. So why is she fighting these feelings? She said because love hurts to much and she doesn't wanna feel the hurt.
Isn't it human nature for us to wanna protect ourselves from anything we feel may cause us harm? Falling in love with someone is scary because of all the risk involved. What if the love you feel is not reciprocated? What if they decide one day that they've changed their mind and don't love you anymore? Falling in love is in fact giving into that other person and I think that is what scares most people.
Ive only ever been in love once in my life. I wasn't even in love with my exhusband and I knew it when I married him but that's also another blog as well.
The one time that I was in love with someone after a year I realized he didn't feel the same way about me as I felt about him though he said he did. I got over it and ended it. Was actually quite painless like ripping a band aid off. You know how it hurts for a second and then the pain goes away. Only after I broke up with him did he decide he wanted to show me his love but it was just to late. Maybe I didn't love him either.
Maybe I'm no different than she is. After all I only wanna give my heart to someone after we've developed a bond and I feel safe. I need to feel like he wants my love before I can really love him. Its my way of protecting my heart from hurt. One of my followers on twitter gives relationship advice tweets and he says love is a choice not an emotion and that you choose to love someone. I guess maybe in a sense he is right especially the way sis and I are going about things.
So what did I tell her? I told her life is to short to live in fear and that love is a beautiful thing.I told her there is no rush to take things day by day because if he is "the one" then she has forever to love him. I also told her she should allow herself to fall for him and if he should hurt her pick the pieces up and learn from the experience. To grow from the experience and be a better person for it. Who knows maybe I will follow the advice that I gave her....one of these days.