Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Love is an important part of life. Personally, I don't even want to know what I would do without all the people in my life who love me, they've helped me out so much. Love is the secret to my continued existence, and the remainder of my sanity.
And yet love has also taken away some of that sanity, and has caused some of the most challenging times in my life. Nobody and nothing is perfect, not even those who love you. And there is a dark side to everything. The people I love the most mean a lot to me, and sometimes I feel as if their opinions weigh more than my own. The people who love me the most are the people I am the closest to, and those are the people who can also hurt me the most. Comments from strangers don't hurt as much as criticism from friends who I trust, because I know they are right. And if a friend of mine is having a hard time, I have a hard time to because they matter to me.
I don't know what I'd do without my friends, really. They may cause me pain and confusion sometimes, but they're there when I need someone to talk to, and I feel like I can rely on them and their opinions.
There is a dark side to everything, and the shadow of love is a large one, but I wouldn't surrender love for anything in the world.