Just to Remember

I’m about to lend out my copy of Rachel Kadish’s book Tolstoy Lied: A Love Story, and I wanted to remember this passage from when the protagonist finally has some kind of epiphany about love/partnership:

“I was wrong on that first date with George: Love isn’t rest. Love requires you, from time to time, to rip up your soul and replant it. To dare your lover to do the same. To muster sympathy where it seemed impossible. To be, perpetually, two kids joining hands, drawing breath, and deep-diving.

I can’t forsee what hurdles or negotiations might lie ahead. All I know is this: love takes faith. And there it is — the first faith my mind hasn’t been able to wrestle to the ground. It’s a faith at which I’m only a beginner. But I’m willing to labor, imperfections and all, for its sake. I think: let love be my religion, its intricacies, its euphorias, its trials. I think: I want to learn from this man for the rest of my life.”