I’ve been kicking this around in my head for a good while: what are the two major forms of love? It’s not like it’s written in stone somewhere, you know? Not for me, anyway. My way of figuring things out, especially stuff like this, is just by living, watching, and trying to make sense of the mess. It’s not some grand theory I cooked up; it’s more like piecing things together from what I’ve bumped into over the years.
For a long time, I reckon I only really saw one side of it. You know, the big, loud, all-consuming kind. It’s what all the songs are about, right? That crazy, can’t-eat, can’t-sleep feeling. I remember seeing my cousin, years ago, totally swept off her feet. Everything was intense, a real rollercoaster. Arguments one day, madly in love the next. And I thought, ‘Yep, that’s it. That’s love.’ It’s exciting, no doubt. Burns bright like a bonfire. That was my main focus, what I thought the whole game was about.
But then, life keeps happening, and you start noticing other things if you pay attention. It wasn’t like a lightbulb moment, more like a slow dawning. I started looking at folks who’d been together for donkey’s years. My grandparents, for instance, or some old friends of the family. There wasn’t all that drama, not usually. Instead, there was this… quiet hum. A steadiness. They’d be sitting in the same room, not even talking, but you could just feel this connection. It was a different kind of energy altogether. Took me a while to even register it as ‘love’ because it wasn’t flashy. It was more like a deep, comfortable warmth, like a well-worn armchair. Solid. Dependable.
And that’s when it clicked for me, really. It wasn’t that one was ‘real’ love and the other wasn’t. They were just… different forms. Two major currents, if you like. That fiery, passionate burst, and then this calmer, enduring, companionable thing. Sometimes one can lead to the other. Sometimes they mix. Sometimes, well, sometimes it’s just a damn mess, like anything with humans involved.
So, yeah, that’s my take, from my own little workshop of observations. Not very scientific, maybe, but it’s what I’ve pieced together from the practice of just being around and paying attention. The flashy fireworks, and the steady, glowing embers. Both of ’em seem pretty major to me.
