What does it mean to be in love?

Does it mean you would drop everything for that one person? Does it mean you smile just thinking of them? Does it mean you worry for their sake all the time and just want everything to work out for them? Does it mean you want them to be happy?

I ask myself this question all the time. I’m not in a relationship with someone, nor have I really ever been in one. So yet I ask again, what does it mean to be in love? Do you have to be in a “dating” relationship with that person, or can you love from afar?

How do I know if I have ever been in love? Was it when I had to catch my breath when you gave me that certain look? Was it when you gave me a hug and I just held on not wanting it to ever end? Was it when you fell asleep and I just smiled at you and ran my fingers through your hair?

Was it when we went through tough times and I still cared for you the entire time? Was it when I felt I couldn’t breathe when the thought of losing you crossed my mind time and time again? Or was it when I knew you would somehow be in my life forever? At least I hope you will….

Is love wanting to spend every minute with someone? Is it the need you have for them deep down in your soul? Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Is it when almost every song reminds you of them?

I have always wanted to know what this magical feeling is that people talk about. You see it in movies, you read it in books, and you hear it in songs on the radio. How will I know if I have ever experienced it? If I have, should I clearly know? Is it as obvious as they make it out to be in love stories and fairytales?

I want to know what this love really is. Maybe I will someday in the future, or maybe I will tomorrow. Maybe I have already met who I am supposed to be with the rest of my life and I just don’t know it yet.

I hope everyone finds a love that makes them feel like they have the whole world. I want to find someone who makes me smile on the worst days, just by them looking at me. I want to find someone who will hold me in their arms all night when I am sad. I want someone who will be there for all the good times and the bad. I want them to see that I am a huge mess inside, but they still love me all the same. I want someone who will make me feel butterflies in my stomach fifty years later. I want someone to love me for me. I hope I can make someone else feel that same way someday.

So I ask you again, what does it mean to be in love?