What does love feel like in a relationship?
"Love feels like walking through a weeded meadow and finding the most beautiful flower."
"Love feels like coming home from a long day and seeing that your favorite show is on a marathon."
"Love feels like ordering pizza and getting it for free."
"Being in love feels like being lost in the right direction. It just feels right."
For me, love in a relationship is about the little things.
Getting excited to go grocery shopping together. Feeling a tiny butterfly float up your throat when their name pops up on your phone. Trying to hold back a smile because they flashed that perfect grin at you.
Sometimes the feeling is a light, fluttery burst of energy that crawls up your spine and shoots out your fingertips. Other times it's a wave of emotion that crashes into your heart and paralyzes you for a brief moment.
Love is glancing at their features and finding a reason to love every single freckle or dimple or birthmark placed there. You'll catch yourself staring and have to take your eyes away for a moment to come back to the reality of the world.
It's easy to get lost in their eyes. Or their smile. Or their laugh.
On a bigger scale, you can feel like yourself when you are around them. You aren't afraid to share your thoughts, your aspirations, what's on your mind. You can laugh with them and you can cry with them.
Love feels like warm chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven on a chilly winter evening. Love feels like driving with the windows down and the stereo turned up.
You should feel complete when you're with them. Not like you're waiting for something more.
Some days won't feel like that. There will be a day every once in a while where things won't fall into place. It's how you resolve the situation that matters, not the argument itself.
If you truly love them, and they love you back, you'll work it out. You should come back together stronger than before. And if you have doubts or you feel worse, don't put it behind you. Reconsider what this relationship means to you.
But remember to cherish what's good. No one should ever make you feel like you are trying to be someone else.
Falling in love is opening up emotionally to that person, giving them access to your weakest vulnerabilities. And trusting them. It's taking a leap of faith.
When you find your missing puzzle piece, life becomes less complicated. Knowing you have someone to come home to, Knowing you have someone to grow old with. It's as simple as it gets.
Maybe you haven't found "the one" yet. That's okay! Cherish the love you have between family, friends, pets, etc. No matter what relationship you are spreading love amongst, do it with all your heart.