Some people don’t even realize that there is a true difference between being in love and loving someone. If you ask anyone who has been both in love and loved someone, they will assure you that there is a difference, a big difference.
Loving someone is a choice, being in love isn’t
Falling in love is completely out of your control and for the most part it is a bit random. It just happens. You are completely and utterly unaware that you are about to feel this way. Once you are in it, you don’t want to reach the end and you don’t want to rush it. You want to stay in the moment forever.
Loving someone is about what they do for you, being in love is about what you do for them
Think back to high school. Think about how you wanted your boyfriend to take you out to the movies and dinner at every chance he got and spoil you with flowers when you were having a bad day. Think about how you wanted the relationships that you saw in the movies where the guy goes above and beyond to make his girl happy. Being in love is going above and beyond to make him happy. Surprise him with dinner, take him to a concert, ask him about his day and most importantly, instead of letting him make you feel like a queen day in and day out, make him feel like a king every once in a while. If you’re in love with him, that’ll be easy.
Loving someone is wanting them, being in love is needing them
Sometimes you’re worried, you’re worried that you’ll be alone forever and you wonder when someone will come into your life and sweep you off your feet. Sometimes we settle. We settle for the first person that gives us the attention we have desired for so long because, well, we’re worried. You love the idea of him. When you’re in love you need that person each and every day. You need their smile and their silly quirks that make you so happy. You need every day for the rest of your life in their arms. That’s what being in love is.
Loving someone means you accept their flaws, being in love with someone means they are absolutely flawless
Loving someone means you talk to all your friends about each little thing they do that bothers you and that doesn’t live up to your standards. Being in love is having nothing that bothers you and their bad habits that everyone else notices, you never notice. They are perfect.
Loving someone means that distance will do more harm than good, being in love means that distance will make the heart grow fonder
If you say you haven’t heard this phrase from someone in your life, you’re lying, “don’t make any life decisions based on a boy.” In better terms, follow your dreams, even if those dreams are 14 hours away from someone you love. Don’t get me wrong, those 14 hours are going to be hard but if you are in love with each other like you say you are, you will both want the other to follow their passion and be where they can succeed. You want the best for them, always. Distance truly will make the heart grow fonder, if you’re in love that is.
Loving someone requires effort, being in love is effortless
Sometimes you might find yourself pushing it. Pushing yourself to love someone that you don’t love. A perfect example of that is just getting out of a relationship and finding someone new that you truly do think you can love but you end up forcing it. You’re forcing them to be something that they aren’t because you want it so badly. When you are in love, you don’t have to try. It comes naturally and you just know that this is a person you can see yourself with forever.
Being in love means you still love that person even when they piss you off, even when they leave an empty milk carton in the refrigerator, even when loving them seems like the last thing you could possibly do. When you are in love you want the absolute best for them no matter what it means for your relationship. It’s nearly impossible to prevent yourself from falling in love, it’s completely natural. It’s a feeling of bliss, a feeling that you never want to go away, a feeling that makes you tremble when you aren’t with that person. Don’t just love someone because they walked into your life at the right time. Fall in love because there is nothing else like it.