Love

Love must be as much a light, as it is a flame. ~~Henry David Thoreau

I think I get what this quote means. At least this is my interpretation of it. When we meet and first "fall in love" with our mate, it is the fire that excites us. We wrap ourselves in the experience of learning all of that persons likes and dislikes, their quirks--all the things that make them unique to us. It's that initial fire that bonds a couple together, at least at first. Infatuation and lust drive us, and all other distractions lie forgotten in the path we make to our love at the end of each day.
As time goes on and we get to REALLY know that person, and they get to REALLY know us---the fire is still their, but the urgency of taking in all that they are at every moment subsides. In true love, that urgency subsides, I believe, because we realize that we have the rest of our lives to get explore and experience all that our mate has and shares with us. Everyday existence starts to encroach on new-love bliss...problems arise, feelings get hurt, apologies are made, promises are broken. It is too much to ask for both partners to be on the same page every step of the way....one is bound to falter. This is the time when the love you share MUST be a light, a beacon if you will, that will guide you both back to common ground, and the safety of each other's arms time and again. At different times in a realtionship it is up to each of us to be that beacon, the guiding light that draws your mate back to you, or that provides them with the safety to deal with the things they need to deal with so that they can fuel the "fire" of the love once again. This, in my opinion, is the stuff real love is made of...those that cannot see past the flame are doomed to forever seek it, and never find it. Those that can see past the flame, will find a light that is far more all encompassing than the quick burn of the flame could ever be.