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Naming the Feelings of Love

Imagine that you want to make a large and magnificent painting that you are going to call “The Feelings of Love.” You study the pallet of potential colors, because you want the colors of your painting to represent faithfully as many feelings as possible that could be associated with loving your partner.

I’m a word person, not a painter. So instead of colors I’m going to try the assignment with words. Here are some tags (some word colors) I have come up with for different feeling states that I associate with loving your partner. A number of them could apply to loving anyone who is really special to you.

  • The glimpse. The feeling of being so close to your beloved that you and that person are nearly one being. This feeling gives a glimpse of transcendence, in the sense that you are lifted out of yourself when you have it.
  • The rush. The rush that sweeps you off your feet when you feel absolutely captivated by the person you love. The rush is often very sexually passionate. You want to get to bed with your partner and stay there making love until you have melted into each other.
  • The touch. Touches that communicate sweetness, fondness, sympathy, encouragement. A touch on the cheek. A touch on the shoulder. Holding your partner’s face in your hands. Sleeping touching each other.
  • The ache. An ache in your heart. It can be so big that it leaves you unsteady on your feet. An ache that you feel when a child that you love is very sick and suffering. A memory ache for someone who is gone from your life that you suddenly remember as if that person were really here and, at the same time, you know that s/he is gone forever.

My list of feeling states that have occurred to me today continues in the next post.

Try this: In the comment space at the end of this post, add to the list with other feeling states that you associate with love and your own tag for each.

Catch the Every Day Love Podcast No. 9 on The Feelings of Love, November 3, 7 PM



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This entry was posted on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 4:50 PM and is filed under Love-Feelings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “Naming the Feelings of Love”

  1. joyce wilson-sanford Says:
    October 18th, 2009 at 5:20 PM

    I get “love hits” or “bursts” that seem to come from nowhere. I’ll be in the middle of some craziness of work or cooking or bordom and I’ll suddenly feel warmth and good will with a sense of deep appreciation for you. It doesn’t last long, but it affirms that I am supposed to be with you. Sometimes I share them and sometimes I don’t. Like when you are taking photographs (of the same moldy rocks and rotten wood) and I am watching. I wonder if anyone else has this sense?