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SBU | Wellness > Sex + Relationships

The Weight of Loss and Love

Adria Hoadley Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

For me, love has always felt like a risk. Loving someone feels like standing in front of them with my heart in my hand, hoping that they’ll catch it. Sometimes they do, embracing it and even giving me a piece of their own in return. Other times, it slips right through my hands, and they watch it shatter into a million pieces on the ground in front of me and walk away like nothing ever happened. 

My heart feels heavy in my hands. I know that it could fall at any moment, breaking into pieces that will take years to glue back together. Although I know the risk, I still hold out my heart proudly in front of me, hoping that someone will be there to help me carry the weight. 

Every time I offer my heart to someone, it’s more than just inviting them to help me carry the weight. I’m inviting them to become a part of my story. My heart comes with more than what you see on the surface. When I open my heart to you, I’m inviting you to make an impact on my life, for greater or for worse. Even when my heart ends up broken, that love leaves behind a lesson that, even through that loss, I am always able to find all the pieces of my broken heart.  

Don’t get me wrong, loss is just as heavy, if not heavier than love. You constantly feel it weighing you down until you can’t take it anymore. It takes forever to glue the pieces back together, especially if you try to do it all alone. The good news is that you don’t have to. Someone else will come along someday and help you rebuild your fragile heart. You aren’t limited to just one love.  

Love isn’t perfect. It’s about giving your all despite the heaviness that may come with it. To love is to risk it all. Love can end with heartbreak, but it can also help you grow into a better version of yourself. Every heartbreak has helped me see myself and the world in a new way. 

The loss of love doesn’t need to be a bad thing. In fact, I consider it a beautiful thing. No matter how many times my heart has broken, it has never stopped healing. In fact, it’s grown bigger every time it’s had to heal itself. So, I’m not afraid of love anymore. I will continue to put my heart on display, because no matter what happens, I know that the outcome will be good.  

Adria Hoadley

SBU '26

Adria Hoadley is a senior at St. Bonaventure University from Union Springs, New York, and this is her third semester writing for Her Campus. Writing has always been her creative outlet, and she loves sharing her voice.

As a psychology major, Adria is passionate about mental health and often uses that topic to motivate her articles. After graduating with her undergraduate degree from SBU in the spring, she hopes to go on and get her master’s degree in school counseling. Apart from Her Campus, Adria is involved with several other clubs on campus and enjoys volunteering in her free time.

Outside of school, Adria enjoys spending time with friends, getting coffee, listening to music, and online shopping. Although she loves a fun night out, she can usually be found staying in and binge-watching Grey's Anatomy while brainstorming ideas for Her Campus articles.