I love you

love: "An intense feeling of deep affection"

There are a lot of types of situations we refer to as "love."

crushes

fatty food
books
art
sounds & smells

friends

pets

significant others
.......
whatevs.

I don't really have a fabulous long lecture to present on this topic but I would like to bring up the use of the phrase
"I LOVE YOU"

The phrase "I love you" is immensely different than loving an object and yet not at all.
We say that we love Pringles or that we love A Walk to Remember or we love standing in the rain...

But what does it mean to LOVE?

In these cases I think it means to have a personal and satisfying connection with something. It indicates that something we love is something that has become a part of us and not only a part of us but a part of us that more than satisfactorily fulfills one or more of our desires.

That was wordy and could be phrased better but just read it over a few times and get over it.

So how is this different than loving people? It's really not. That's right.. read it again with a different context now.

I love my friends because they are something that I have a deep personal connection with. They are a part of who I am and fulfill voids in my life.

Now let's take it to the next level-- "I love you."
I do love my friends. There's a handful of them that I tell "I love you" to. I don't just like them.. I love them. I have, as my dictionary defines love as, "an intense feeling of deep affection."

But am I using the phrase "I love you" too casually? Maybe. It's something I have become aware of in the past few weeks. I've decided that I'm okay with usage of the phrase "I love you" though. Or as some would say, I'm not an "'I-love-you'-slut." When I tell someone I love them, I mean it. I really do.

BUT

I do not use the phrase "I love you" casually in romantic relationships.. I still haven't quite figured out what the phrase "I love you" even means in that sense. If I think a friendship has the potential of turning into a romantic relationship, there's a very good chance I've never told them I love them. Why? Probably because in that situation I would feel like I was using the phrase too casually. If there's someone I am interested in that way I don't want to tell them "I love you" unless I've figured out what love is and mean it with everything I'm made of.

So hey, I love you whether you're a can of Sour Cream and Onion Pringles, my best friend, or the person I imagine myself marrying some day.

Just know that when I say it.. it's for real.