Have you ever been in love? The kind where you get butterflies and goosebumps every time you see the other person. Where their voice is the only thing that can keep you calm? That kind of love is rare and special. I thank God that I have been privileged enough to find that kind of love and hold onto it for the rest of my life.
A study done by Harvard researchers has suggested that love is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. Our hearts yearn for the love and companionship from another person. Someone to make us laugh when we are sad, or to hold us when we are down. We all deserve that kind of love.
There is a big difference between being in love and loving someone. When you are in love with someone, there's an end goal, the constant yearning for more. When you love someone, you aren't rushing to a finish line. Truly loving another means wanting their happiness regardless of how that might affect you. As selfish as us humans may be, at times we need to be able to put our significant other before ourselves, without hesitation.
You and your significant other are going out for dinner. Just a typical Friday or Saturday night date night. By typical I mean you are so over the moon, excited and thrilled to being going out to dinner you can't wait to get ready and show off your boyfriend/girlfriend (or have them show you off). When you get to the restaurant you are seated in a booth next to screaming kids. That doesn't bother you because all you wanted was to just spend time together, no matter how you got it. A slight brush of their foot on your leg sends chills up your spine and goosebumps down your arms. You both order different dishes off the menu that you both enjoy because you know you are going to pick off of each others plates. By the time you are leaving you just want to go home and cuddle up on the couch and watch Forrest Gump, because let's be honest, you BOTH love that movie.
You are able to be open and honest with your significant other. You are the real you, not the altered version you may display in public. The both of you are completely vulnerable to each other. We are willing to take risks and be hurt in the process. Being in love is risk-reward. You must be willing to learn from what the both of you are experiencing and be able to change to create a stronger relationship. Now I am by no means saying change who you are as a person, but simple things such as the way you react to events or how you display anger towards others can easily be altered so you can appease them, including your significant other.
In relationships we have all experienced different emotions, but in the end, love will always conquer all. Go home tonight and tell the person you are in love with how much they mean to you because you can never say "I love you" enough.
