There is always a way to love

The image presented conveys a powerful message. “There is always a way to reach out and love.” It carries an essence of wisdom. Using this as inspiration, I wrote this little story that I hope you enjoy.

– R. Scout Sanders

There was a quiet little town named Scoutsville, where two friends, Harper and Lee, spent grew up together. Harper was a serene child, full of warmth and empathy. Unlike her, Lee was a bit hardheaded and grumpy, sometimes pushing people away with his solemn expression, and direct answers. Despite their contrasting personalities, they shared a bond of pure friendship.

As they grew older however, their opposite nature’s began to take them in different directions. Harper found herself drawing people in effortlessly do to her warm smile and peaceful nature, while Lee, although kind hearted deep down, found it difficult to express his feelings, and was often alone. The two friends stayed in touch and Harper would always go out of her way to speak to Lee when she saw him in town. Lee would always reply with “hi” and then fidget as Harper talked about current events or asked Lee questions about himself. The conversations would normally end abruptly with Lee making his excuses.

As a harsh winter lingered on in Scoutsville, Harper fell dreadfully ill. The once lively light in her eyes dimmed, and her bottomless energy faded. As time went on, visits from friends became less frequent which hurt Harper, deeply. Amidst all this, Lee, who almost never smiled, or laughed, visited Harper every single day, without fail.

Everyone in the town was surprised. The grumpy, reserved Lee they knew was not the Lee that stayed with Harper, read to her, ensured she ate well, and kept her hopeful. During one of their visits, Harper asked, “Why do you do this, Lee? Why are you the one here instead of all those “friends” who say they love me so much? Why is it you who showed up when times turned hard and the chips all fell, why is it you who showed up, and not them?

Lee pondered this for a while. He looked out the window as he washed their dinner plates. As he delicately placed the last dish in the metal drainer, Lee took a deep breathe and turned to face Harper. “Because, Harper, “being lovable”, or “being hard to love” doesn’t dampen our capacity to love. It’s a choice we make. I’m not good at expressing myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have love to give. There is always a way to reach out and love – no matter how we are. Remember, we can always be both.”

Harper’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Lee’s face. She had forgotten that this was the friend she had chased frogs with after school, and the shoulder she cried on when she received her first broken heart. In that moment, Harper realized that Lee was the friend who loved her best her entire life. They exchanged a glance that conveyed a profound love and understanding between them. Lee smiled.

Harper realized Lee was right. it was OK to be both – it was OK to be lovable and sometimes be the one difficult to love. This doesn’t decrease our worth or ability to love others. The bond between Lee and Harper grew stronger, and so did their mutual understanding and acceptance of their differences. Lee proved that sometimes, those who seem hard to love might be the ones carrying the most substantial capacity to love when given a chance.

The story of Harper and Lee iterates that there are no defined rules for whom to love or how to love. It reinforces that each of us can be tough to love sometimes, and other times, we might be the ones showing the most love. It is OK to be both because, “There is always a way to reach out and love” teaching us to be more accepting and compassionate towards one another.