Love.

I was asked by a dear, dear friend to read a poem at her wedding. I searched the internet endlessly for a poem that was about, well, love. The perfect love poem. Not too sappy, not too depressing, not too intimate. Funny, but warm-hearted. I mean, love is all of those things, right? So, why then was finding a perfect poem to read so damn difficult?

Looking back, I realize that it was pretty inevitable that my search would lead me to think about my own love. I am undoubtedly deeply, and madly in love. However, I don’t wake up every morning with the sounds of canaries in my ears, or catch myself audibly sighing with a soft grin on my face. Hell, I don’t even usually get butterflies in my stomach when I kiss him. So, what is love then?

I think love is more than just the physical feeling you get with someone. I love Chris because I can say the most outlandish and absurd thing, whether I believe it or not, and he doesn’t judge me. He knows what I’m really saying. I love Chris because I can pee on myself drunk while camping, and he is there to help me change. No shame. I love Chris because just smelling him, or hearing his voice is stronger than any anti-anxiety pill. I love Chris because I quite literally never bore of him, which means a lot if I feel the need to change the arrangement of my furniture practically every month. I love Chris because he constantly challenges me, grows with me.

Yeah, I could live without Chris. Of course I could. Do I want to? Hell no. Not for a minute. Not even for a millisecond.

Love is having that person be a part of you. An emotional, spiritual maybe, part of you.

I also realize that what Chris and I have is extremely rare. For that, I am grateful.

But, I have to question: Do we expect too much out of love? Does society’s endless movies, poems, and fictional books give us too many expectations? Do we spend too much time trying to define love, and to find our perfect, one true love? Maybe, or maybe not. I don’t know. I doubt anyone does. Perhaps I’m just lucky.

Here is the poem I chose to read for those who are interested:

http://wonderingminstrels.blogspot.com/2001/02/true-love-wislawa-szymborska.html