Love Vs. Infatuation

Throughout the years of one's youth and adolescence, many memorable relationships are produced. When one enters into the stage of life where the relationships that are formed began to take on a new type of emotion coat-tailing onto it, how can the difference between love and infatuation be identified? What is the definition of love; how can you tell when it's 'real love'?

The dictionary describes love as: To have deep affection or devotion to someone. That's not to say that you can't love inanimate things; like loving a favorite picture of one's mother or loving a certain dress, but the type of love that's being focused on right now is the type of love you have for the opposite sex, or your significant other. With that being said, it's important to note that during the aforementioned years of one's life, several cases of infatuation will arise that are based purely off of a rising of hormones. Infatuation is not to be confused with love. Just because your heart skips a couple of beats when you see him or because you get twenty-five butterflies flying in your stomach when you look at your phone and realize that she's calling, does not prove that you love this person.

Real love is what one has when one realizes that through all of the turmoil and strife that's been endured in his or her life, their significant other stood by their side and never faltered in their devotion. Real love is automatically figuring out the plans of your daily life and implementing him or her into those plans subconsciously, and not feeling like it's a burden, but rather, taking joy in doing it. Real love is listening to your significant other tell you their life story and all of the not-so-saintly things they've done and been through, and still loving them the same amount without condemning them, judging them, or changing your view about them. Real love doesn't let outside opinions influence their feelings. Real love is there when you don't have money in the bank, when you aren't driving a Mercedes Benz, and when you have a one-bedroom apartment in the hood rather than a mansion on a hill. Once again, it should also be noted that you can still love someone even if you meet them and fall in love with when they're at their prime.

Most people have never had the chance to witness a case of real love; either be it that they grew up in a broken home or for some other