Magic Tingles?

“The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person.  You know they're right if you love to be with them all the time.” —Julia Child

When a relationship begins to get serious, thoughts naturally move toward the idea of long-term togetherness.  You’ve been dating for months—maybe years.  You have got mutual chemistry.  You’ve got depth of character.  You seem compatible in all the important ways. So, you start to think, “Is this person I’m growing to care about the right one for me?”

How do you know when you’re ready to cross that imaginary threshold and move toward a full future together?  How do you know you’ve found the right one?  When are you truly ready and willing for commitment? 

“But, I’m in love!  Isn’t that enough?”

If it is just a feeling, slow down and think. Love that lasts is love that has time to develop.  It is not a shallow feeling, or rush of adrenaline, a sense of infatuation, or a buildup of emotions.  Sure, those emotions feel great.  You want them.  You probably yearn for them—because they seem to carry with them a feeling of togetherness.  You are no longer alone in your heart, soul, and body.  You have someone who cares about you, and it is a glorious feeling.

However, the feeling is not the most important thing.  Love is, first and foremost, a decision.  It is a choice that says, “I want to be with you and there for you.”  Love is neither a Cinderella fantasy nor is it a lifetime of physical and emotional passion.  Don’t make the mistake of reducing your relationship to transient feelings and mere emotions.  The kind of love for a couple that is real is a two-way selfless love.  It is a commitment.

The blessing of emotions will follow.

Copyright (c) 2022 Mark Jay Bradberry