What does love feel like?

For so long I closed off my feelings and felt love and the desire to have a mate. I am 50 years old and really have never been in love. I think that I am starting to love someone. He is wonderful and kind. These feelings scare me.

I don't have a real explanation for what love is...I know that I love my BF (of 10 years) more than any other person on this earth. My love for him has changed over the years. In the beginning, it was this intense desire to be with him or around him. I had never met anyone like him before...he is the funniest, smartest, most creative person I have known, and he has taught me to come out of my shell and be more of who I am, because I know he loves who I am. There is nothing better than when I crack a joke that makes him bust out laughing. It gives me the most wonderful feeling. Now though, the love has become more just knowing that he loves me no matter what, that he is there for me and will keep me safe from harm. He listens to my fears, my hopes, my thoughts, my rants, my tears, my laughter, and he always wants me to be the very best I can be, and to win at everything I do. And I feel the same way for him. Love is a scary proposition. Letting the full YOU out to someone, and trusting that they will take your heart and care for it as much as they should is a courageous thing to do. I hope that you open yourself to that feeling...even though it hurts sometimes, the joy that it can bring is not comparable to any other feeling on this earth. Good luck! Hugs, Beth

All I can tell you is that I have been married to the same man for 25 years and we dated for 2 years before that. Love has different phases, it changes and grows, sometimes it grows closer sometimes farther apart, but it's always there. Through it all we have always been best friends. If you really love him and it's not just infatuation, it is the best thing in the world. I am happy for you that you have found someone!! Leeanne

Don't let your feelings scare you. First take it slow. There is no hurry. Enjoy ALL of the attention FROM EVERYONE! Second- Enjoy!

Love is wonderful when you find it and it is mutual. And the others are right...it changes and grows over time as anything that is truly alive does. In the beginning it is exciting and you can't stop thinking about your beloved. But that phase doesn't last; it couldn't because no one would ever accomplish anything in life if you felt that way all the time! After that "excitement" calms down a bit, you can start to evaluate the relationship and determine whether or not this is the kind of love that will last. There are three essential elements that you need for a good relationship: they are the VIP's: common Values, Interests and Personality Traits. You need to have commonalities in each of these areas. As you get to know eachother more and more, you figure out if you will be able to "live with" the things that bug you about the other person and then you decide is this the man for me, or do I leave? Anyway, this is a brief overview of my understanding of love. I am 53 years old, married for almost 14 years, and have been in love maybe 3 times before I met my husband. I spent 7 years as a nun too! I taught a class for several years to high school students called "Loving" so I got a lot of my ideas from the textbook we used and my own very varied life experience! Hope you find true love...it is something wonderful when it happens right! You deserve it! Diana

I've been married to my best friend for 31 years--been together 34 years. I can only tell you what I experienced. When I dated other guys (boys actually, we married at 21 yrs old), I always felt like I had to put on a special face. I was never really myself--I was always on my best behavior. When I dated hubby for the first time I was totally relaxed and didn't have to act like anyone other than myself. I tend to be quite a worrier and have alot of anxiety issues. But, the morning of my wedding was the most calm time I have ever experienced. As I walked down the aisle to meet him I was sooooo at peace. I had never felt that calm, safe, secure and loved before. As the others have said,,Love does go through different phases and each one is a different challenge. As long as the love is mutual you can get through anything. I hope you will find great love and happiness in your relationship. Kathy R