Why does loving unconditionally feel like it's costing me everything?

Because sometimes it is. And that matters. Mirabai knew this exhaustion — the way devotion can become depletion if you're not careful, if you're performing love rather than living it. There's a difference between the cost that refines you and the cost that erases you. Unconditional love was never meant to be one-directional — you pouring endlessly into a void. That's not agape. That's abandonment of yourself. Mirabai's freedom came not from loving more, but from examining *why* she loved the way she did. Was it genuine devotion or was it fear of being unlovable if she stopped? Grief is part of this work. You may grieve that love isn't enough to fix someone. That showing up faithfully doesn't guarantee reciprocal care. That you can love someone completely and still feel lonely. These are real losses, not failures. Here's the practical turn: If loving is costing you your health, your boundaries, your other relationships, your sense of self — that's a signal. Not a sign you're not spiritual enough, but a sign you've confused self-abandonment with grace. Mirabai's devotion sustained her because it was *hers* — not demanded, not desperate. What would change if you loved yourself with the same fierce attention you give others?