Baring My Soul is a category of writing where I share a personal piece of my life’s journey in an effort to do my part in maintaining connection because when we share our stories, we let someone know that they are not alone.
I’ve been thinking about commitment a lot lately. What do we really mean when we commit ourselves to another? How is a commitment established? How is a commitment maintained? So far I’ve uncovered this layer of commitment.
Commitment is about the ability to honor and to trust. It requires that we simultaneously pledge our love (and all that love entails) and that we entrust our love to someone else. When we pledge our love to someone, we are agreeing to care for the wants and needs of that individual. We are agreeing to protect and to serve that individual. We are agreeing to abide by the guidelines that are established within the relationship. When we entrust our love to someone else, we take a leap of faith to trust that someone to meet those same agreements. As beautiful as the land of commitment can be, a commitment is not something we should thoughtlessly enter into. There are a series of questions that we should be able to ask and clearly answer when considering entering into a committed relationship. However, there is no one-size fits all Q&A list. We must all figure out what questions are ours to ask and answer, and here are a few I have started with:
Does this individual add value to my life? Get specific.
Am I or am I capable of adding value to their life? Get specific.
In what areas are we compatible? Get specific.
Are we compatible in the areas of most importance? Get specific.
Am I truly ready?
After we commit, we are then tasked with and must be willing to recommit ourselves over and over to the relationship. This is where we make the decision to stay committed by constantly recommitting ourselves throughout time.
Much love.