fuzzy butt;971841 wrote: Yep, I sorted this one out when i thought that my relationship was falling apart many years ago because I didn't understand it myself. I thought I'd fallen out of love with my husband.because for a short while I didn't feel atracted to him physically mentally or emotionally ...........................but if anyone had of hurt him in any way i would have jumped volcanoes to protect him. and that's the difference between being in love .................an infatuation................to loving someone ..............a decision to honor and protect another person . Like we would do with a sibling or other family member who has meaning in our lives. We love a husband or a long time partner because they become part of our personal history , they become part of us. If we didnt' love them then essentially we stop loving a part of us . (in some circumstances like severe abuse , this can be a good thing to stop loving someone. But you may also feel a deep infatuation still with that person because the psychological and emotional impact could be quite high and therefore so are the feelings.)
So don't worry if you fall "out of love" as opposed to "not loving" with a spouse because the feeling comes and goes as the wind.
We are very much in love with our children when they are young this is a neccesary instinct that moves us to care for them but as they become adults we readjust to Loving them. Until of course they are in trouble or ill and we revert back to the In love instinct.
Infatuation comes and goes multiple times in our lifetimes. It is basically a common motivator to help us - connect to a breeding partner, care about the survival of our babies, and be productive during our lifetimes. It also helps us get over grief. It's an extremely useful emotional instinct that helps us feel alive and human.
this is a wonderful post and a great way of explaining it, thank you!
