text; anonymous

[peninhand]

Hello. I have a question for all the Lost Souls:

What is love in your reality?

To be more specific, I am talking about the kind of love you find between two lovers. I realize how strange this question may sound. But this is very important to me and I would appreciate it if as many people as possible could reply to this with serious answers.


PS: please don't reply with a link to Haddaway's song.

Comments

text: anon

[perfectdistance]

That's different from person to person. Doubt you're gonna get two of the same answer.

[peninhand]

The replies I got so far are indeed all very different.

I was annoyed at first, but now I find it somewhat heartening. Perhaps I am not as hopeless as I feared to be.

[perfectdistance]

Is it hard for you to define it? Or hard to pin down the feeling?

[peninhand]

Both... But more the later, I think.

I had to describe "love" to someone recently. And as I spoke the words... It just hit me that it didn't really sound like what love should be.

[perfectdistance]

It's something hard to really define. At least to me. The last time I felt it maybe... a willing devotion and trust. Somebody you know you can depend on.

It takes work from both people to maintain it. Because it is work to care about somebody that much.

[peninhand]

Willing devotion and trust... It does sound like what I associate with "love" myself.

But is it really work? Caring about somebody that much, if you're in love... It should be natural, shouldn't it?

[perfectdistance]

It goes both ways. Sometimes they'll do something you hate or you'll do something to keep them safe and they won't appreciate it.

There's times you'll get frustrated at their choices and you can't stop them. It's a choice to keep staying with them, even with all the stress they make you feel.

[peninhand]

But they make you feel more positive emotions than stress, don't they?

The way you word it... That makes it nearly sound like love is a chore. Something you constantly need to force yourself to stay into.

[perfectdistance]

That was a long time ago.

People change. The people you were when you fell in love aren't the same people you'll always be.

Love is a series of choices. Sometimes the choice you need to make is to leave.

[peninhand]

I understand that much.

Love is also being able to let go. If you can't love someone the right way... Then you should let them be.

But there also exists love that persists. Even if it's rare- It's worth believing in.

[perfectdistance]

What do you think "the right way" is?

[peninhand]

If I knew that answer, I wouldn't be here asking all those questions.

[perfectdistance]

Do you think anything here clarified it?

[peninhand]

Maybe.

I know I'm going to re-read all of those answers many times over. But what's become clear to me is that there is not one definite answer.