More than once in my life, I have been told that I hold on to people too tight. It’s true that I grow attached too quickly, and I pour an extensive amount of love into the people I care about. In our present day, loving too much is looked down upon. Our society teaches us that we should be somewhat detached in our relationships, and that we should be careful not to say too much, do too much, and ultimately love too much. Personally, I disagree with this. I do not think there is such a thing as “loving too much”, and I will not apologize for who I am and why I love like I do.

As humans we’re supposed to love people, it’s in our nature, and it’s what we’re called to do. Why then, are those of us who love a little extra, looked down upon, and even seen as weak? To give an example of this, in the ABC show “Once Upon A Time”, the evil queen brutally states, “Love is weakness.” These days, it seems like most people believe that. Maybe this is because by loving too much we make ourselves vulnerable to those we love. That is without a doubt a scary thing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad one. If we never risk our solidarity for those we love, then how much can we really love them? Sometimes, even though it can be scary, it’s worth it to make ourselves vulnerable for those who really matter.

Another thing about the “problem” of loving too much, is that I don’t think it’s a problem at all. There’s nothing wrong with caring for people, and caring for them so much that you’re willing to make sacrifices for them. There’s nothing wrong with going the extra mile for those you love, and there certainly isn’t anything wrong with growing attached to people. People were meant to be loved, and loved deeply for that matter. It doesn’t matter who it is, a family member, friend, coworker, patient/client, etc. When we love people “too much”, we give them the best gift we possibly could give. I’m even willing to argue that the problem isn’t loving too much, it’s loving too little. If you’re not willing to go above and beyond for those you love, then maybe you’re the problem.

In one of my favorite parts of the show Once Upon A Time, the protagonist replies to the previously mentioned comment, "love is weakness", with “No, love is strength,” right before defeating the evil forces and restoring the balance of good and evil. I love this part because I think that she is absolutely right. Love is strength, in every single way. Love is strong, and when we love people with everything we’ve got, we’re showcasing the strongest kind of love there is. My challenge to you is this. Don’t be so afraid of loving too much that you don’t love enough. Go the extra mile, send the risky text, poor your heart out for goodness sake. This life is too short to hold back your love. Ultimately, I want to encourage you to love “too much”. I guarantee you’ll find out that it’s just enough.