is it Love ?

It’s hard to know sometimes whether you have a crush on someone, like them a lot, or really love them. Well, it’s easy to tell most of the time, but love is a word thrown around entirely too much. Do you really know what love is?

You know him well enough to realize his strengths and his weaknesses.
You rear up to his defense when anyone criticizes him – even if you know he’s partially or totally to blame. Of course, you don’t lie for him – just help others understand WHY he did it. (And he’ll hear about it from you, later!)

• You smile when you think about him – most of the time, anyway.

• You obsess about problems when things aren’t going well. Your obsessions center on finding the problem so you can fix it.

• You almost never think about breaking up with him, just fixing whatever is wrong at the moment.

• You’re never bored on the phone when you’re talking or not talking to him. Just listening to him breathe can be great fun.

• You can always find something to say to him about any topic – even if the two of you have never talked about it before.

• You’re willing to compromise on issues that aren’t deal breakers. You might hate ice hockey, but you’ll go if it makes him happy – so long as he takes you to see a sappy romantic comedy this weekend.

• You glow and other people notice and comment on it.

• You have mostly good things to report to your friends when they ask how the two of you are doing. And you can keep on talking about those good things for days.

• You realize that there are always going to be bumpy spots. Nobody is perfect, so no relationship can be perfect.

• You’re willing to work at keeping things going strong. You’re too tuned into the relationship to ignore a problem or not see a subtle change.

• You know his moods. You can spot him brooding and have a good idea why even before he makes it all the way down the hallway.

• You can finish each other’s sentences. You know how his mind works and he knows the rudimentary basics of yours.

• You’re very willing to say, “I’m sorry.” The old line about love meaning you never have to say you’re sorry is a bunch of baloney. If you love him, you’re willing to admit when you’re wrong – and stand up for yourself when you’re right.

• You’re not scared of him. You should never be afraid of your boyfriend or his temper. You should be comfortable speaking your mind and holding your own in a disagreement.

• You’re his equal. You may not run it the same circle all the time, but you shouldn’t feel he’s better or worse than you.

• You have secrets from the world. The two of you have a secret language, a secret code, a secret smile, a secret meeting place, a secret hiding spot for notes, etc…and that spot, code, language, or smile is also secret from your friends.

• You feel satisfied. You are a whole person by yourself, but there is great satisfaction being with someone you love. You don’t want more and you don’t think about breaking up to try out different boyfriends. Real love is enough to satisfy your romantic inclinations for quite a while.