When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
"Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free."
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
"The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue."
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.

Twenty-one is just a fond memory for me now. But back then I loved this poem and held it dear. To my younger self it meant that you're bound to get hurt when you open yourself up for love. Now it holds a different message. I think instead of warning people from love, Housman was instead showing the power of it. When you give your heart away, there's bound to be some heartache to follow. But what Housman's wise man didn't say is that it can be so worth it.

I did give my heart away. To a tiny little boy with golden-brown eyes and a silly little smirk. And the months waiting to bring him home have had more than their share of heartache. So I ask myself, is it worth it? The answer is a clear, resounding YES.