"If you love something, set it free"

This was a passing comment between a friend and myself this morning in the Florida room.

I had to walk into the living room to collect myself. It offended most of my senses and now it's stuck in my head and I find it increasingly irritating. So, you know, the proper protocol is to inflict in on all of you...

This is right up there with the "is the glass half full or half empty" thing to me - which you all know I fucking hate.

And again, it's just simply HALF - no more, no less. It's MATH.

I came back out to the Florida room and said, "What the hell does that even mean?!" - because I don't get it.

He repeated the whole thing - which helped me understand it, not at all.

"If you love something, set it free; if it comes back to you, it's yours - if it doesn't, it never was."
-Richard Bach

Earth sign alert! Earth sign alert!
Terra Firma!
Foundation! Roots!
Structure! Cultivating! Building!
Red alert! Red alert!
All senses fully offended!

If you love something, you don't set it free!

If you love something - you nurture it, you care for it, you love it, you make it feel safe and secure, you make sure it's at least content, you cherish it, you give it a wide range to grow, you protect it with everything you're worth, you don't sell it, you don't trade it, you don't give it away, you're loyal to it, you're devoted to it, you live for it, you're willing to die for it and you don't treat it cheaply.

Oh my God... and if you can set it free, you didn't love it enough in the first fucking place!

My head may explode.

I admit it, I called Richard Bach an idiot.
Sorry, Richard - I'm sure you're a lovely person, on the inside...

Now this quote...

"Love is a fire. Whether it's going to warm your heart or burn down your house though, you can never tell.
- Joan Crawford

...I can at least understand.