5 Years Ago Today

I was stunned, speechless and had no idea what to say. Receiving a few poems from an almost stranger that changed the trajectory of my life and how I perceive devotion within all relationships to this day. A person who showed me that those who are afraid of the intensity are not worth your depth. Thank you for always leading me and always guiding me through a path filled with honesty. Let's open the vault. Here are a few lines to live by in your pursuit of love, freedom, depth and passion. A glimpse into the full spectrum of human emotion. I Don't Want Easy I don't want the love that shrugs,

that texts back "cool" when I bare my chest,

that meets my depth with shallow water,

and calls is compatibility. I don't want nonchalant. I don't want someone who loves me,

the way they love their favorite song

a pleasant background noise,

easy to skip when something better comes along. Give me the love that pays attention. The kind that notices

when my silence changes texture,

that asks "what do you mean?"

when I say "I'm fine" because they've studied the difference. I want someone who doesn't flinch at intensity,

who meets my fire

and adds their own kindling,

who understands that passion

isn't the same as chaos.

I'm tired of dimming myself

to make someone comfortable.

Tired of pretending

that surface-level feels like enough

when I am built for the deep end. So no I don't want love and lust that are lukewarm,

burn me and boil my soul in it, I don't want it if it keeps one foot out the door,

that treats forever like a hobby,

they might quit when it gets hard. I want the love and lust and care

The one that stays, that fights I want someone who wants me,

the way I want them - completely, inconveniently, undeniably, unconventionally,

not nonchalant at all. Reach For Me I won't make this easy. I need to know you want this too - want me, want you, want us.

enough to move through fear.

Reach for me, when it's inconvenient. When I'm difficult, when I'm too much. When my intensity scares you and you'd rather walk away. Reach for me in silence,

the spaces between words, where most people give up. That's where I live. I don't need your surface. I need your hands in the dark,

pulling me closer when everyone else would let go. Reach for me with your truth, not your performance. Show me the parts you hide from everyone else. I'll do the same. And when I test you - because I will,

when I pull away to see if you'll follow,

reach for me anyway. I sense you're not like the rest, I'm not asking for perfection, I'm asking for someone who doesn't run

when love gets real. Reach for me like you mean it. Like we're worth the depth, the work, the fire. Because I am, and so are you, so how do we prove it? I Don't Love Lightly When I let you in, you're in completely. There's no shallow end with me. I will know you better than you know

yourself - your fears, your patterns, the lie you tell to feel safe.

And I'll love and stay anyway. But I need the same in return. Don't offer me half your heart. Don't just give me weekends and convenient hours. I want the 3 AM unraveling, the ugly cry, the truth you've never told anyone and you're

often scared to admit to yourself.

I will be loyal beyond reason.

Protective. Obsessive, maybe. I'll defend you when you're not in the room. Any room, in front of everyone and anyone. But betray me once, and I'll remember that too. Forever. I don't need you to be perfect. I need you to be here. Present. Committed. All in. We will transform each other if you let us. Strip away what doesn't serve us. Hold each other in our pain while we

become who we're meant to be. But you have to want it. You have to choose me every single day,

the way I'll choose you. So before you step into this,

know what you're signing up for. I'm not for everyone. But if you're brave enough, if you can handle this kind of love. We'll burn brighter than anything you've ever known. May this love find you in 2026 Lots of love,

The Samsara Retreats Team