This is because it is real and deeper. When you are reading, you only have an idea of love. When you watch movies, they only show what love looks like. Real love is everlasting and carries you through life in a way a movie could never truly convey… except for maybe the Notebook (haha, just kidding).

Love is painted all around us. Cotton candy clouds rolling on a perfectly blue sky, a mother’s smile, a baby’s first step, seeing an old friend, the saddness of losing a relative. Love is that peaceful feeling, that is almost impossible to explain. The best way to describe it is… God is love. Finding that special partner in life is simply another illustration that God loves us.

Hmm… I am not really sure why I rambled so…. I have enjoyed reading your blog! Randomly.

Ali: I have to agree with E later on, though of course I have no experience to speak of, so it’s merely hypothetical on my end. :)

Jerry: Thanks for the heads-up.

Haley: Haha, too true. :)

Whitney: Um… I don’t rightly know, come to think of it. But as a writer I sort of am a psychologist in a very informal way, no? :)

Joni: Good points, both. Perspective is invaluable.

Laura: Sure, I’ve seen many real-life relationships grow, and they do provide a nice counterpoint dose of reality. But at the same time I think I’ve seen more fictional ones, and so the weight of the majority perhaps overrides some of that reality.

Joe: Glad to hear it. :)

e: Well said, and I agree completely. :) (You really need to start a blog, e. Really.)

Granted, as a teenage girl, I probably based my idea of romance a lot more off of movies and books, and I’m not saying it doesn’t still impact my view, but there is plenty of opportunity to learn from real life as well.

I do agree with the problem, though. It can (if you’re looking at things the wrong way) cause some problems with wanting to rush things/have things be a certain way. It’s hard because you know that the movie ends with “happily ever after” and life isn’t always that way. Besides that, I think it also gives the impression that marriage/dating solves all problems. Take “You’ve Got Mail” for example - the movie ends with Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly getting together after he puts her out of business. Really, they’ve been online lovers for months. So they meet in a park and all is forgotten and they kiss and the movie ends but what about that minor little detail of putting her out of business? It’s easy enough to keep up a relationship online but what about in person? Marriage doesn’t solve problems. It is great and wonderful but. . . anyway. Too much conversation. Good post, Ben.