Love is a multifaceted experience. Love incorporates every aspect of our being.
It satisfies every desire of the human heart. Love is all you need. As has been said many times by lovestruck paramours “Love is a many splendored thing.”
Love begins with a physical attraction. A chemical reaction. The teasing twinkle in her eyes, the sensual sway of her hips, the softness of her skin. We are carnal creatures made in the image of our Creator and love should not be denigrated because it begins with an alluring appeal to our fleshly nature.
The physical charms of a young and nubile maiden may reel you in, but unless there is also an intellectual attraction the relationship will never develop beyond the purely physical realm. True love satisfies both our physical and intellectual cravings. Besides a meeting of the hearts there must also be a melding of the minds.
Love also has a spiritual component. If you are physically compatible and intellectually satisfied with your lover that is still not enough. You must spiritually connect with your beloved. I don’t mean to imply that you must share the same religious affiliation.
I’m referring to a coupling of your souls. Sweethearts who are spiritually attuned to each other can communicate without words. They can speak volumes to each other merely with a gentle caress or a tender glance. This kind of spiritual intimacy is priceless.
Love begins with a physical attraction, and it must be sustained and nurtured with physical ministrations. Don’t ever take your lover for granted. Don’t ever think that you can leave for work without kissing her good-bye. Don’t ever imagine that she doesn’t need an occasional hug or embrace. The little physical touches of affection are just as important or maybe even more so than passionate love making in preserving a relationship.
Falling in love is easy but sustaining that love is hard work. We should periodically examine our relationship with our partner to ensure that we are meeting each others needs. Do you meet her sexual needs? Don’t let your preoccupation with your work or with your hobbies interfere with your physical intimacy.
Are you meeting her intellectual needs? Do you make the time to have long conversations with her? Are you meeting her spiritual needs? Do you still share your dreams with her? Do you ask her what her hopes and aspirations are?
Are you meeting her need for affection. Don’t just tell her that you love her. Kiss her gently. Hold her hands while you are watching television. Caress her lovely face not as a prelude to sex but merely to express your love and devotion.
I trust that my essay will have instilled in you a renewed appreciation of your lover and a renewed dedication to keeping your relationship strong and stable. Love may be a many splendored thing but unfortunately it is also a fragile thing and it requires effort to keep the embers of love burning bright.
©1998, Robert Paul Reyes
Robert Paul Reyes lives in Alameda, California, and works for an insurance company to support his ‘real’ occupation as a writer. He is a cyber-columnist for the Internet version of the Star-Telegram of Fort Worth, Texas. His personal web page is entitled My Version of the Truth. You can send him email here.