How Do You Know?
I recently had someone ask me, “How do you know you’re in love?”
I had to pause for a moment, because I had never been asked that question. I think what surprised me was that I never pondered this previously.
Most humans have the experience of falling in love at least once... many of us have had the experience multiple times. Have you, however, stopped to think about how you know you’ve fallen in love?
Just as important, have you ever asked yourself how you know you’re sad or happy or excited or any of the other 5,000 emotions that humans can create? I believe discovering how you know you’re feeling a particular emotion is an important part of being self-aware, and it took almost 5 decades for someone to bring this to my consciousness.
After thinking about it, this is how I experience falling in love...
I fall asleep each night thinking of her, and I wake up every morning doing the same. She appears in the photos and is the star of the movies that dance in my mind. When I think about things I’d like to do, places I’d like to go, and experiences I’d like to have, she’s right beside me.
When I look into her eyes, I can see a reflection of myself as she sees me; and I want to be the best human I can be so that reflection is never replaced with a tear of sadness.
When I see the smile on her face, it’s as if a thousand tiny candles are warming every inch of my body. When she touches me, it feels like every nerve comes alive. When I touch her, I feel like the luckiest human on the planet... and in that moment, it’s as if my skin against hers allows us to share an experience that was somehow uniquely created for just the two of us.
When I hear certain songs, the image of her and me pops into my mind. When I come across something funny or interesting or happy or sad or romantic or erotic or whatever, I want to share those feelings with her so we can both have the experience together in that moment.
It’s about my heart aching when we’re apart and having it skip a beat when I see her again... or when receiving a simple text message that reads “Miss you!” makes me feel like I’m high on some sort of drug.
That’s how I know I’ve fallen in love.
How do you know when you’re falling in love?
How do you know when you’re experiencing anything?
You owe it to yourself to know how you work.
Even after 5 decades, I’m amazed how a simple question from another human can stir a beautiful storm of emotions within me that creates what can only be described as “awe”.
