If Love Is Destined to Lead Nowhere…
When love feels real but leads you away from yourself, perhaps the most loving act is …
“Letting go is not giving up; it’s choosing peace over illusion.”
We don’t always fall in love with the right person.
Sometimes, we fall in love with someone simply because they make us feel alive again, seen again, real again. But when that love leads to deception, inner conflict, and silent suffering, it’s no longer love — it’s attachment disguised as longing.
This is a story of one such love.
The Unexpected Spark
Emily was a woman many admired — late 30s, two children, a steady career, and a dependable husband. Her life looked fulfilled, even enviable. But beneath the surface, something was missing. Not chaos, not conflict — just a quiet ache of disconnection.
Her marriage had grown routine. The fire had cooled, replaced by logistical conversations and weekend chores. She was not unhappy, but she was far from truly alive.
Then came Daniel. A client. Also married. Gentle, attentive, and someone who listened. Really listened.
One evening after a late meeting, they lingered longer than they should have. No lines were crossed, but one boundary blurred: the one between comfort and craving.
Recommended Reading: Becoming Your Own Therapist
When Connection Becomes Escape
What began as innocent texting turned into confessions. Private messages. Excuses to “run into” each other. Coffee meetings that lingered. Longing glances that said more than words.
Emily told herself, “I’m not doing anything wrong.”
But she began to lie. To her husband. To herself.
She was living two lives, building a secret world while watching the one she’d vowed to protect slowly fracture.
And yet… she couldn’t stop. It felt too good to be seen again.
The Mirror of Truth
One night, her daughter left a note on her pillow:
“I miss when you smiled at Dad the way you smile at your phone.”
Emily’s breath caught.
That sentence shattered every illusion she had carefully protected.
She realized she wasn’t chasing love — she was fleeing numbness. And in doing so, she was becoming someone she couldn’t recognize.
A line from the Dhammapada echoed in her mind:
“From craving springs grief, from craving springs fear. For one who is wholly free from craving, there is no grief — much less fear.”
— Dhammapada
And from Master Sheng Yen:
“Do not mistake craving for love. True love gives space. Craving demands possession.”
Discover More Profound Insights and Open New Horizons for the Soul.
The Goodbye That Was Necessary
Emily met Daniel one last time. Autumn leaves fell around them as they sat quietly in a secluded park.
She looked into his eyes — not with longing, but clarity.
“This isn’t the kind of love I want. It’s too fragile. Too conditional. I want a love that can survive life — not just escape it.”
He didn’t argue. She left without a hug, without a backward glance.
That night, she cried.
But this time, it wasn’t grief. It was release.
The Reflection: Love Is Ordinary — and That’s Beautiful
In the weeks that followed, Emily began to see her home differently.
Not with fireworks, but with presence.
Not with fantasy, but with gentleness.
She noticed the way her husband warmed her tea when she forgot it on the counter.
The sound of her kids laughing over breakfast.
The comfort of folding laundry while rain tapped the window.
She realized:
Love is not always a flame — it is often a steady lamp.
Passion fades, but commitment remains.
Excitement comes and goes, but presence — true presence — is rare and sacred.
As Master Sheng Yen once wrote:
“The ordinary mind is the Way. When we can return to daily life with clarity and compassion, that is the truest awakening.”
If You’re Torn Between Illusion and Truth…
Ask yourself:
Am I running toward something real — or away from something uncomfortable?
Am I building a connection — or escaping a responsibility?
Is this love — or is it longing?
Real love may not always thrill you — but it will hold you.
It may not make your heart race — but it will give your soul rest.
And sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is not pursue what feels good in the moment…
But to stay, rebuild, and rediscover the quiet grace of a love that endures.
Recommended Reading: Becoming Your Own Therapist
🌿 Final Reflection
Letting go didn’t make her weak.
It made her whole.
Sometimes, we believe a love that shakes us must be the one worth keeping. But often, those loves are teachers — not destinations.
They awaken us, shake us, show us what parts of ourselves are still yearning to be healed.
And when we’re ready, they teach us the hardest lesson of all:
That real love is not about possession, but about peace.
📖 Want to Go Deeper?
If this story stirred something in you — if you’ve ever stood at the edge of attachment, wondering whether to hold on or let go —
consider reading Becoming Your Own Therapist by Lama Thubten Yeshe.
“We are our own jailers, but we are also our own liberators.”
— Lama Yeshe
This deeply compassionate and practical book offers a clear path for working with your own mind.
It teaches us how to observe without judgment, feel without drowning, and love without clinging.
In a world full of noise, this is a guide to your inner clarity.
🧘♀️ Begin the journey inward. And become your own most trusted guide.
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