A friend is going through a breakup right now. We chatted online earlier today. The breakup went the usual way, and she feels all the usual things. But when she said, “I still love him, and always will”, I know what she means.
I still love my ex-wife dearly. And I love my girlfriend very much.
But these two types of love are different things. The love I share with my girlfriend is the love of possibility and adventure and future. It is a fire that needs to be fed fuel.
The love for my ex-wife is a solid thing. Like a perfect shiny sphere. Like an ornament on a Christmas tree, I take it out from time to time to admire it, but it needs nothing from me.
These types of love begin in the same place and then diverge.
The love of my girlfriend is a burn barrel that needs to be stoked and tended to.
The love of my ex-wife is a shiny spherical ornament. To be admired, but no longer in need of attention.
I like those images. They feel right to me…
