I have fallen in love several times. I have fallen out of love nearly as many, usually in response to the ignorant mistreatment and neglect of said former loved ones. I long for an enduring love, a soulmate, and hope the lessons I have learned in my previous attempts will guide me in my quest.
My thoughts on “true love”, however misguided or naive are as follow:
Passion should be met with passion – not physical gratification
Affection should be met with affection – not tolerance
Touch should be met by touch – not distance
Desire should be met with desire – not duty
Friendship should be met with friendship – not indifference
Romance should be met with romance – not complacency
Love should be met with love – not fondness
Excitement should be met with excitement – not routine
Enthusiasm should be met with enthusiasm – not boredom
Courage should be met with courage – not trepidation
Honesty should be met with honesty – not silence in lieu of the truth
Tenderness should be met with tenderness – not criticism
A sense of adventure should be met with a sense of adventure – not fear
Anxiety or fear should be met not with impatience or pacification, but with sincerity and honesty
Love should be comforting
Don’t tell me what my heart wants to hear just to quiet me. Tell me what your heart is saying so I have the freedom to choose.
If someone gives you their heart, don’t place it in a box upon a shelf while you try to figure out what to do with it. Don’t just take it down off the shelf on occasion to look at and decide it is good and you may still want it. Don’t leave it on the shelf for periods of time, untouched, locked away out of sight, if only to prove to yourself that you can live without it.
If you have someone’s heart, treat it as you would a garden; tend to it, nurture it, enjoy it and in return you will be rewarded with many things both lovely and nourishing. Neglect it and it will wilt, wither, die, dry up and blow away with the dust o the wind.
“True Love” means you treat the heart you’ve been entrusted with in the manner you’d want your own heart to be treated.