Day Five: Your Definition of Love, In Great Detail

I certainly don't claim to know a lot about love, but I enjoy the following explanation of it:

"When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots are become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the desire to mate every second of the day. It is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every part of your body. No... don't blush. I am telling you some truths. For that is just being in love; which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over, when being in love has burned away. Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? But it is!"

This quote comes from one of my favorite books, Captain Corelli's Mandolin. I first read the quote when I was in my early teens and loved it, and rereading the quote just now, I still love it-maybe even more so now that I've had some actual life experience. The book is great and I highly recommend it; the movie was okay, but a little disappointing.

So I think love is more than just the rush of emotions that you experience when falling in love. It's the day-to-day compassion, concern, compromises, and overall partnership that you cultivate with someone that will hopefully withstand the test of time. I love the analogy of having your roots entwined with another person's. It makes me think of a strong family tree. I'm also a firm believer that with love should come a lot of laughter. You need to be able to laugh at yourself and make the other person laugh, because it's healthy and fun. I wish I could elaborate more on love, but I think it means different things to different people and it's up to you to recognize your love for someone.

What does love mean to you?