Day 05 - My Definition of Love
Wow. I was thinking about this earlier today, completely coincidentally.
I've only been in love once before (see Day 02), but I've always had a life that is full of love.
Love to me is the desire to put someone else before you - even if it means a bit of sacrifice on your part. It's a desire to see someone succeed, and want to help them in whatever way you can.
It's hard to explain - but it's a feeling of... permanence? There are friends that I love in my life. We end phone calls with "Love you" and we mean it, and they're in my mind, an extended part of my family. There are family members that I'm not so sure if I love, and I'm not sure if I'll ever love them... at all, really.
To me love isn't something that's guaranteed. It's something that's earned and trusted and kept. It's sacred.
To comment on my first love, I'll say this. I haven't been in love with him in about 5 years, but I think that a part of me will always love him, at least a little bit. He was my best friend before we dated and I fell in love with him somewhere along the way... silly me! I won't step in front of a train for him like I would for the other people in my life that I love, but I do still care about him in a way that's different than other people. He knows me and I know him... and for whatever reason, I've always considered this weird not love but love thing I have for him... love. It's just kind of there.
As far as love in terms of a relationship, that gets a bit more complicated. Yes, it's wanting the person you're with to do well and being willing to put their needs before yours, but it's also wanting to passionately rip their clothes off - even in the middle of a crowded city. Love in the context of a relationship should have a bit of an electric quality to it, I think. No, not in all situations, but even through the years that spark should still be there - even if for just a fleeting moment here and there.
I could start listing all the qualities I want to find in someone I fall in love with, but they really don't matter. If life has taught me anything it's that I'm a fool for love and will literally pick up and move halfway around the world to find out if it's something or... just a passing fancy.
For me, love IS the purpose of my life. To love my family, to love my friends, and to hopefully, love someone (or many someone's) throughout the course of my life that make me feel like I'm alive, in all the ways that regular life seems to miss.
Love isn't always easy, but it's worth it. It's that deeper connection to someone where you know that they've more than just scratched the surface of who you are. It's the feeling you get when someone looks into your eyes and you know that they're seeing YOU for who YOU are, your soul (or something like it). It's that pride you feel when you hear someone you love has had some success or achievement, and it's the pain you feel right alongside them when they hurt. Love is connecting to someone as if they were an extension of your very own being. To me, that's love.
I've only been in love once before (see Day 02), but I've always had a life that is full of love.
Love to me is the desire to put someone else before you - even if it means a bit of sacrifice on your part. It's a desire to see someone succeed, and want to help them in whatever way you can.
It's hard to explain - but it's a feeling of... permanence? There are friends that I love in my life. We end phone calls with "Love you" and we mean it, and they're in my mind, an extended part of my family. There are family members that I'm not so sure if I love, and I'm not sure if I'll ever love them... at all, really.
To me love isn't something that's guaranteed. It's something that's earned and trusted and kept. It's sacred.
To comment on my first love, I'll say this. I haven't been in love with him in about 5 years, but I think that a part of me will always love him, at least a little bit. He was my best friend before we dated and I fell in love with him somewhere along the way... silly me! I won't step in front of a train for him like I would for the other people in my life that I love, but I do still care about him in a way that's different than other people. He knows me and I know him... and for whatever reason, I've always considered this weird not love but love thing I have for him... love. It's just kind of there.
As far as love in terms of a relationship, that gets a bit more complicated. Yes, it's wanting the person you're with to do well and being willing to put their needs before yours, but it's also wanting to passionately rip their clothes off - even in the middle of a crowded city. Love in the context of a relationship should have a bit of an electric quality to it, I think. No, not in all situations, but even through the years that spark should still be there - even if for just a fleeting moment here and there.
I could start listing all the qualities I want to find in someone I fall in love with, but they really don't matter. If life has taught me anything it's that I'm a fool for love and will literally pick up and move halfway around the world to find out if it's something or... just a passing fancy.
For me, love IS the purpose of my life. To love my family, to love my friends, and to hopefully, love someone (or many someone's) throughout the course of my life that make me feel like I'm alive, in all the ways that regular life seems to miss.
Love isn't always easy, but it's worth it. It's that deeper connection to someone where you know that they've more than just scratched the surface of who you are. It's the feeling you get when someone looks into your eyes and you know that they're seeing YOU for who YOU are, your soul (or something like it). It's that pride you feel when you hear someone you love has had some success or achievement, and it's the pain you feel right alongside them when they hurt. Love is connecting to someone as if they were an extension of your very own being. To me, that's love.