What is Love?...

...Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me..... oh no! You all know the song and can picture the scene in 'Night at the Roxbury'. Honestly, I don't know how someone can bob their head sideways for that long, but Will Ferrell can manage to do it. But then again, he is crazy.

I was thinking about this question not too long ago after a friend of mine asked me if I had ever been in love. I said no, I hadn't. Obviously he was referring to the romantic kind of love. But it made me think, what is love? Love is one of those feelings, emotions, etc that is so complex and can be defined in so many ways. It can be so different and have so many meanings. There is first, what we thinking of most as Romantic love. This love can cover many different areas in and of itself. There is the long lasting, deep, eternal kind of love that I think most of us wish for when finding a companion. There is fast and furious love that starts out like a blazing fire and slowly burns out (this one is what we think is love, but is really just lust), there is the young, crush love, first loves and then there is unrequited love (the one sided kind). There is love of family, you don't always like them, but you do love them because they are family and you can't change that, nor should you want to. My mom always said, 'Friends come and go, but family will always be there for you.' This is so true and definitely takes a love that is deeper than any non-romantic love you will know. Love of good times and bad, it is funny sometimes sad, supportive, emotional, and eternal. Love of friends. I have many very good friends that I love. They have been there for me and I, hopefully, for them. It is similar to the family love but can come and go with changing times and situations, however, some will last forever. Love of objects. This love can be fun and good, but sometimes greedy, jealous, covetous and dangerous. It definitely needs to be kept in check or could be trouble. Like Love of money. I love money, it provides me with my living, but I recognize that I don't and probably won't have lots of it, so I need to live with what I have and make the most of it.

So when I thought about the question, have I ever been in love? My answer was again, Romantically, no. But yes, in so many other ways. Here are some of the people or things I have been in, or am in, love with -

My Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ,

My Family, Dad, Mom, brother, sisters, in-laws, my cute and funny niece and nephews!,

True friends,

My 4Runner,

My new apartment,

Running or working out,

My freedom and free agency,

The mountains,

The beach,

The outdoors in general,

Music,

Reading,

Learning,

Design/Architecture,

Cooking,

Eating the food I cook (or any other good food),

Creativity,

Cleaning,

That really great pair of fuchsia Fergie heels that I want!,

Camp Fires,

Cuddling up on the sofa and watching movies on a rainy day,

Vin Diesel (he would be nice with the previous activity as well),

Changing Seasons (mostly summer and fall),

New Adventures

Really my list could probably go on, but I just wanted to recognize for myself and share all of the things I really do love in my life.

What is love to you? Have you ever been in love?