The road is confusing and dangerous.

Do you know how to tell if you're in the middle of nowhere?

Do you have cell service? If yes, then you're not. If no, do you have T-Mobile as a service provider? If yes, you might just be in your basement. If not, then you are probably in the middle of butt fuck nowhere.

But just to be safe, count the number of cars on the road and the seconds between houses. The fewer the cars and the larger the seconds, the more likely that you're stuck in the middle of God only knows where.

And you probably have no idea where you're going.

Your GPS doesn't work, you're shit out of a map, and there are no road signs anywhere because the only people that drive in this land before time town are the people that live there and know where they're going.

You seem to be fucked.

You know exactly where you need to be, but you have no idea how to get to that destination.

Welcome to the intersection of Love and Loss.

So many things have changed in my life over the past year that I've learned a thing or two. People that are married for 20+ years will grow apart and get divorced, only to find other people to connect with. People that you never imagined ending up together will one day be standing at the altar, while you're sitting in the church pew silently wondering how in hell (mind: you have to whisper that, since you're in church) they fell in love and you're still there without a date.

But here's a concept that I've touched on numerous times in these blog posts: People come into your life for a reason and they leave because that reason has come to a conclusion.

But here is the number one reason that someone will come into your life: To give you directions. These people will show you what happiness feels like and then they will leave. It might seem that they were only out to hurt your feelings, but that isn't true.

People will show up, teach you what Love and Happiness are, and then they will leave. And you will be sad for a while. But then when you find someone else, you will know. You will remember just what that happiness felt like, what the feeling of love felt like, and you won't question yourself.

Loss and pain exist to teach us what possession and happiness are.

Why do you think I was permanently tattooed with that quote?

There are always speed bumps that might put you out of commission for a while. You will probably run out of gas or get a flat tire at some point in your life. There will be sharp turns and twists and you will have to slow down and you will have to speed up. You will pass people and you will have accidents.

But you can't be afraid to get behind the wheel because you might get a flat tire or you might accidentally hit a fucking deer in the middle of nowhere. Deer are fucking stupid.

You can't let yourself be afraid of the "What if I get a flat tire at 4 in the morning?"

You get behind the wheel and you drive and you don't stop until you get there. Rain, sleet, stupid fucking deer, flat tires, snow storms, hurricanes, really stupid passengers abound.

The road was not meant to be easy.

But the destination. The destination is always beautiful.

Especially at sunset.