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08 February 2010

Love and Herpes

Sometimes, I wish love was more like herpes.

No. I really do. Because unlike love, one knows herpes when one has it. There's an easily-accessible checklist of symptoms. You go to your doctor, and she confirms your worst suspicions. Then you take your medicine and cope with the diagnosis.

Love is more like an episode of Mystery Diagnosis than herpes. The symptoms vary greatly, and typically don't fit a set pattern. You may misdiagnose as lust. Perhaps you've got a case of unrequited love that would fizzle out if you got whom you wanted. You could suffer symptoms (meeting his parents, moving in together, planning a wedding) before you realize you have a really good friend, not someone you want to wake up next to in the nursing home.

I've heard so many stories from people who I believe are genuinely in love. For some, it took them years to recognize the importance of the other person in their life. Other times it was an almost immediate knowledge. Several of my happily married friends say that when they met their now-spouse, everyone else they'd ever had the opportunity of boning seemed less desirable. That's never happened for me, but I think I've been in love at least twice in my life.

I suppose love is more like the old trope about pornography--I'll know it when I see it. Or feel it. Just like I would the herp.

1 comments:

Julee said...

Just an awesome post.

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