Before I Forget to Be in Love

Towards the end of my relationship with someone I loved and still love as a dear friend, I was posed the most dreaded question: "are you in love with me?"... I was, as often is the case, unable to come up with a quick and satisfying answer for both of us. Reason being I really did not understand what it meant, until now.

It literally just "dawned" on me that being in love with someone means to have respect and admiration, to truly be a fan of your partner. 

Now, respect and admiration are also the definition of the word esteem. A loving relationship to be successful has to have esteem for one another at all times even if with fluctuating strength and intensity.

It may be worthwhile to also remember that we are flawed human beings with many weak moments and we occasionally make poor choices that weaken our chances to be respected and admired.

Perhaps, how quickly we respond to those moments in our lives will determine the outcome of our relationships. Is this also the key to be able to fall in love again with someone we fell apart with?