Blind Love

A few years ago I took part in a "blind walk". With a scarf covering my eves, I was led in silence up a narrow rocky gulley. I had no idea who was leading me; not even their gender. The only contact was a hand at my elbow, gently guiding me, showing me where I needed to step up on to rocks, or across the small stream that ran down the gulley.

By the end of the walk I felt a deep and unexpected love for my guide. I knew nothing of him or her as a person. It was the care and attention given me that had brought forth my love.

Normally when we fall in love, we fall in love with a person's appearance, their personality, their likes and dislikes, the way they do things, the sound of their voice, the way they dress, etc. We fall in love with those who fit our notions of the perfect person, with those who support our own beliefs and realities, and with those who might satisfy our needs for security, approval, stimulus, growth and nourishment.

Conversely, when someone fails to fit our expectations, we judge them negatively, and so block our love. In extreme cases, they become "someone I could never love".

But put on a blindfold, and in silence feel their care, their love for you as a fellow human being, and you may find yourself loving them as deeply as a close friend. Such love is truly blind -- blind both to their imperfections and to their perfections.