More than just words
If you’re like me, you’ve watched your fair share of romantic comedies and you know the essential plot line: woman meets man of her dreams, woman jumps through ridiculous hoops to get said man, woman and man fall madly in love. Cue the credits.
But what happens after you’ve hit the goal of happily ever after and won the love lottery?
As college students, many of us are familiar with the struggles that come along with keeping love alive in an environment that thrives on alcohol and procrastination. I find myself wondering why some couples succeed and why others fail. If we all know that love is like a plant that needs continuous watering, why do we keep forgetting this simple, yet necessary act?
This weekend, I watched American Wedding (a very educational and romantic movie, or so I kept trying to tell myself). Despite its dirty scenes and sex-filled plot, there was actually a really great lesson melded into this movie: Love isn’t just a feeling, but is something you do. Love is an action, not just a word.
Many of us forget that love isn’t just what you sign in a text when your going to bed or something you say after you’ve been in a relationship for a certain amount of time. As John Mayer says beautifully “Love ain’t a thing, love is a verb.”
Love is making an effort to better your relationship everyday. Love is not giving up when the road gets tough. Love is keeping the romance alive and the sex fun. Love is showing that you care, not just saying it. The action of love is what eventually turns a good relationship into a great and long-lasting one.
In a world where the word love is thrown around more than most 13 year old AIMers would like to admit, you have to ask yourself if someone’s actions are lining up with their words. If you ever find yourself doubting your relationship, watch the actions of your significant other and let the words take a backseat.
The reality of relationships is that love takes work and dedication, which is why you should not get into a relationship unless you are ready and willing to make a relationship work. If you decide to enter a relationship when either person is not ready, prepare to see all of your hard work crumble.
For those of you who are ready and are willing to put in the effort to make a relationship work, just remember to wait for someone who is on the same page as you. After all, it takes two people to make a relationship work and to turn love from just a word into a verb.
