Quote by Louis de Bernie'res in Corelli's Mandolin:
"Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion, it is not the desire to mate very second minute of the day, it is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every cranny of your body. No, don't blush, I am telling you some truths. That is just being "in love", which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident."
I read this the other day while getting ready for a keynote talk. I have been wanting to write something on how "love ages". This says it perfectly. Love is not perfect. It will never be what it was in the beginning of a relationship. However, it has the ability to be sustainable and become everything that you have ever wanted it to be in a partner if you are willing to ride the ups and downs, look at the warts of the relationship and turn them into something beautiful, remember what first attracted you and continue to have adventures with each other, allow the other person to be themselves and ask that they allow you to be yourself, and most important, have a sense of humour. I believe that if you can still laugh together, then you can still love together.
I have been up, down, in, out and back in love again in my 36-year-old relationship, and I would not give up one moment for the growth and giving that I have experienced working out things with another individual. It is so very easy to give up, and I am not saying that everyone should stay together; there are sometimes circumstances that are too difficult to work out. It does take two people to work through things. However, if you are in a relationship in which you can take each other through the Journey of Aging together, finding new things to love about each other and being reminded of that young person you fell in love with, I can tell you from experience it is truly a great place to be at this stage of your life. LIVE...LOVE...LAUGH...
Leslie Traill
"Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion, it is not the desire to mate very second minute of the day, it is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every cranny of your body. No, don't blush, I am telling you some truths. That is just being "in love", which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident."
I read this the other day while getting ready for a keynote talk. I have been wanting to write something on how "love ages". This says it perfectly. Love is not perfect. It will never be what it was in the beginning of a relationship. However, it has the ability to be sustainable and become everything that you have ever wanted it to be in a partner if you are willing to ride the ups and downs, look at the warts of the relationship and turn them into something beautiful, remember what first attracted you and continue to have adventures with each other, allow the other person to be themselves and ask that they allow you to be yourself, and most important, have a sense of humour. I believe that if you can still laugh together, then you can still love together.
I have been up, down, in, out and back in love again in my 36-year-old relationship, and I would not give up one moment for the growth and giving that I have experienced working out things with another individual. It is so very easy to give up, and I am not saying that everyone should stay together; there are sometimes circumstances that are too difficult to work out. It does take two people to work through things. However, if you are in a relationship in which you can take each other through the Journey of Aging together, finding new things to love about each other and being reminded of that young person you fell in love with, I can tell you from experience it is truly a great place to be at this stage of your life. LIVE...LOVE...LAUGH...
Leslie Traill
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