Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Hello, darlings ~

With St. Valentine’s Day fast approaching (and having recently discovered a stronger interest in the subject matter), I thought I’d take a day or two to explore the topic of love.

We’ve all heard (too often) Corinthians read to us at weddings: “Love is not blah, blah, blah…” “Love is yada, yada, yada…” Pretty sentiments at a time when, for better or worse, love or no love, you’re right in the thick of it and no turning back. But I’m always curious how people reach that point where they’re ready to spend a small fortune on one day of their lives to show the world how much in love they are (when most of the world either doesn’t care or is predicting divorce by year two of the marriage — if that long.)

So what is love anyway?

There are probably as many theories about love as there are people in the world (not to mention animals since we don’t really know what they feel), and as many types of love as there are various relationships — love for Mom & Dad, love for your cats, love for books, self-love (keep it clean, folks, keep it clean). The Wikipedia article on love tells us “love is an abstract concept, easier to experience than to explain.”

So how do you know when you’re in love?

Seriously, I’m asking all y’all: how do you know when you’re in love?

And if you are in love, how do you (or do you even try) to label it? For example, is it Eros, based largely on physical attraction & sexual gratification — or is it mania, that highly emotional, unstable, roller-coaster type of thing that typifies so-called romantic love?

According to the BBC’s Science and Nature Hot Topics “events occurring in the brain when we are in love are similar to mental illness.”

That certainly explains a lot. But how do you know, really?

Cher says, “It’s in his kiss”. I suppose that’s as good a way to find out as any…