Love

Do you know what it's like to wake up next to someone you love?

I do ♥

I feel so blessed to have evolved into the woman I've become. I am recalling puppy love, the love you felt as a teenager for your first crush, the person you shared your first kiss with and how different love seems and means to me now. I am experiencing what I call Mature Love, the kind of love you share with no judgement when you find out something you may not like about your lover's past, the kind of love that makes you give up "I" for "We" and the kind of love that makes you want to pick out their sleepy eyecrusty's in public lol, slap them on the butt or simply hold hands in silence while driving.

There are three stages of Love in relationships: Romantic, Real(ity) and Longevity.

The first stage of Romantic Love is when you experience that euphoric, giddy and blissful state all the time. Thoughts of your lover consume you and all you want to do is be with them day and night. This is similar to the feeling couples have right after marriage when on/in their Honeymoon. You may expend great energy doing things for the other but do not consider it work and you actually want to make your lover happy. The Romantic stage of love can last for months and makes it seem as though this new person in your life is just perfect in every way but then the Reality sets in.

The Reality stage of Love occurs after you've had your first big disagreement, argument, falling out or hurt in the relationship. You still love this person but now reality has forced you to see them as perfectly imperfect. You are now aware that you two do not love all the same music, restaurants, TV shows, types of food, and social outings etc. The small and some what trivial oppositions experienced in this stage can be very detrimental if you can not see past them but of course if what you see after the blinders of Romantic Love are taken off is a deal breaker, this is when couples usually part ways.



If you are fortunate and strong enough to make it to the Longevity stage of love then congratulations! At this stage the couple decides to spend the rest of their lives together. They should have already talked about the integral parts of building a life such as finances, children, spirituality, household management, travel, family ties etc. The Longevity stage is just that, being in it for the long haul. In this stage you still will experience the butterflies of the Romantic stage if you both put forth the effort and continue to show and express the 5 Love Languages often shown during the Romantic Stage. It is equally important to exercise the playful side of childhood in your adult relationships too. Keep the fire burning by sharing a secret language or hand gestures, play boardgames, have playful pillow talk, horse around at home, hold hands, snuggle on the sofa watching a movie, make a meal together, have a candle lit dinner, picnics in the park, make smores at the fireplace, write a firey short-story about you both and send it in an email or place a call in mid afternoon to say I love you. It is in this stage that the most growth occurs because after all marriage is meant to be eternal so when an issue arises, and it shall, the couple has to learn how to deal with it instead of bailing at the first sign of weakness in the other.



Love is such a beautiful thing! It can put a bit more pep in your step, improve your overall demeanor, brighten and improve the health of your skin and make you a joyful person to be around. It is my hope that all of you lovelies experience the joys of Love.

Have an awesome day ladies,

Lipstick Diva