Old Notebooks and Old Lists

I swear I was a romantic from birth. In any case, part of my new living arrangements in New Hampshire have moved me from my old bedroom which is mostly a bed and storage space for my parents while I was away to the basement. We are all trying to make it work but the move helped me find some old notebooks and in an effort to move them of course I read a couple of them too. I love finding old things and my previous post and this one are both products of those notebooks. I was and remain a sucker when it comes to romantic things and obviously I will probably continue to think about that kind of stuff way too much but here is my list about love:

LOVE IS...

• not lustful, but still a need or yearning emotion, sought after
• more than a feeling, it is a bond
• a state of being or connection
• being able to die for someone, longing, secure
• sacrifice and selflessness
• being able to be happy being with someone without saying anything at all
• the ultimate friend
• faith, holding hands, long walks
• endless joy, exhilaration, passion, warm
• comfort and healing of emotions, quiet
• like a first kiss, it's a gift given purely and hopefully reciprocated
• trust, patience, enduring, hopeful, ideal, honest, helpful
• blind, humbling, beautiful, unexpected, sudden, equal, shared
• special like the warmth in a blush
• soft like a baby's laughter
• unforgettable, strong, seen in one's eyes
• taste in one's lips, found in an embrace
• divine, natural, spiritual, powerful, peaceful
• has no secrets, lies, or jealousy, pride, falsehoods
• needs nurturing, practice, growth, earned, learned, taught
• doesn't need to be physical or bought
• influential, permanent, can be sad or sorrowful
• more than just words, can be actions
• the small and simple things
• secure, safe, protection, decent, modest, private
• heard in simple but sincere "thank you" or "I love you"
• seen in common courtesies
• seen in one's behavior, stance, gate, posture
• seen in one's face, in one's smile
• found in fireplaces, shown in prepared or thought-out actions
• spontaneous, mutual, togetherness, reliable, meaningful
• statement of one's affections
• can be lost
• built on experience and impressions
• fits everyone, all shapes and sizes