There will come a day when you wake up and the sun is shinning a little brighter than it did the day before. The birds seem to be singing like they haven’t in ages and the world just seems to be a little bit happier of a place. You haven’t felt this way in months, maybe even years for some.

After you go through a heartbreak, the thought of ever being vulnerable and loving again makes you want to cringe. You build up a brick wall that is fifteen feet tall and just as thick. You put yourself in this box and you don’t let anyone else in. Of course, you pretend like you let others in, just to fill the void. But you don’t truly open up to those people, you can’t. You aren’t ready, and that’s okay.

But then one day you meet someone who makes you laugh more than you have ever before. Any time you are with them you find a constant smile on your face. Maybe you get butterflies again and you catch yourself checking your phone to see if they have texted you back. And then you start spending more and more time together. And before you know it you can’t imagine not having them a part of your daily routine.

Slowly but surely, the bricks begin to fall. At first, you go behind them and try to put them back up. No! You can’t let this wall fall down. You can’t be vulnerable. You can’t let anyone in. If someone gets in, they can hurt you. You don’t want to get hurt again, ever. You just spent the last year trying to rebuild yourself so that you felt whole again. But it doesn’t matter how hard you try to put those bricks back up because when the time is right, all four walls come down at the same time.

Your heart will let you know when you are ready to love again. So listen to it. For some, it may take a few months, for others, it will take longer. Don’t live you life in fear of getting hurt again because of your past. Yes, heartbreaks hurt, but one day you will be okay. One day you will realize why it didn’t work out with that person and then when the right person does come around you will be thankful.