Even just putting the word love into google doesn’t really tell you what it is and what it feels like. The only way you can really know is by feeling it for yourself, and learning what love means to you.
Does it mean you care for them deeply?
Does it mean you would do anything and everything for them?
Does it mean you can’t live without them?
To me, there is no exact definition. Love is impossible to fully grasp in just a few short words.
In Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolfe, Richard Dalloway has a very hard time saying the words “I love you” to his wife Clarissa; yet he has no problem bringing her a huge bouquet of flowers to express that love…why?
He has no problem admitting it to himself that he indeed loves his wife, so why is it so hard for him to tell her directly? Is it because he is worried she will hurt him? Has she already hurt him and he has put up barriers due to that? Is it due to his own insecurities? Is he scared she doesn’t reciprocate anymore?
This also brings up the question, has he ever told her he loves her? It seems, since they have been married for twenty-something years that he should have said it at some point. So, why not now?
Personally, the biggest reason for me not to tell someone I love them is the fear that they won’t love me back. Telling someone you love them is one of the most vulnerable acts you can perform in a relationship. It is reasonable that Mr. Dalloway would possibly be scared, but…I don’t quite understand his reasoning for that fear yet…maybe starting with trying to recognize his personal definition of love is a good place to start.
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