Embracing the Evolution of Love
Finding that love – timeless, everlasting, all consuming - is the epitome of a happy existence. Whether that love is for a significant other, a best friend or a vocation, there are some kinds of love you just know will last a lifetime.
But for that love to have longevity, it is vital that we embrace the changes in its evolution – as we evolve and develop ourselves, so does the love we feel. We need to periodically take time to acknowledge these changes and their newness, accept and embrace them as part of our relationship.
Contentment in any kind of relationship doesn’t mean that you love your significant other – be it a person, art form, or other – any less. You might not feel first-date excitement butterflies in your tummy, a surge of excitement for the work you're about to create, or a thrill at a post-outing text message from a new friend who is oh-so-exciting. But waking up with that love in your mind every day is the ultimate form of comfort, of lasting love, of home.
So how do we continue to embrace this evolution of love?
Don't dwell
It's never going to be possible to rekindle the exact feelings you felt on your first date, your first meeting with a new friend, your first art class, etc.… So why spend time in the past, wishing you could find those feelings when you could look at the right now? Count all the blessings you have had since those very first days, look how far you've travelled. The contentment you feel in a lasting, loving, ever-evolving relationship is exactly what all those first-daters you are so envious of are looking for.
Imagine your life without their love
For a moment; just consider how your life would be without that lifelong love. That’s the reason you carry on accepting and changing alongside your love as it evolves. Contemplating the incompleteness that you would inevitably feel if you lost that love reaffirms just how much of you you have given.
Tell them
Make it a point to tell whoever or whatever it is that you hold this all-consuming love for just how much they mean to you, and tell them often. Tell them all of the things you love about them.
Sarah Wilkinson is a writer, musician, and arts practitioner from England. She is a lover of all animals, a parent and passionate promoter of self-directed education. She loves music, powerful books, and the beings around her who are, or have become, her family. You can find her at