The word unconditional is defined as; not conditional or limited, absolute, unqualified and unconditional surrender and I believe when we're falling in love we are doing so; absolutely, unqualified and definitely unconditionally – surrendering ourselves.
But is there a limit when it comes to unconditional love, and when we do add those limitations, can we really use the word unconditional?
I remember when I started telling a few of my friends that I had made a decision to be celibate until marriage. A few of them laughed and I don't mean a little chuckle. They hollered, even mocked and then looked at me as if I were crazy. One even told me that his wife had tried to use that while they were dating and he wasn't having it. I told him how very supportive and respectful he was of her decision. Hopefully he heard my sarcasm.
No two ways about it, we are led by our physical desires. Initially, we pick each other based on how physically attracted we are to each other and if we don’t step back and catch our breath, those emotions can often cloud our thinking and get in the way of us getting to know that person. All reasoning becomes obsolete as our physical emotions take over.
Life is not as complicated as we think. Essentially, life can be described as a long series of yes' and no's. Happiness? Yes. Holiday Pounds? No thank you. A raise? Yes, please. A date with Carrot Top? Um…let me think about it, no.
However, in between the yes', nope's and Heck ya's, there is a gray zone; a particularly uncomfortable area that I like to call the Maybe Zone. Maybe's, I'm not sure's and I don't know's reside in this wasteland. Here, dwell lost causes, unresolved issues and generally the unknown. Among the lost causes, you may encounter our opinion of Britney Spears, the justification of the war in the Middle East and, my least favorite, Friends with Benefits, or what I like to call FwiBs.
Not every great relationship starts with a neighbor in the apartment next door. Sometimes they don't even have to live in the same city. Example: Say for instance you're on vacation in a tropical paradise. One evening while visiting the nightclubs, you meet someone. Immediately there is an attraction, but hours later as the sun rises, you realize that this person has a lot more going on than looks. They're smart, funny, successful and most of all single; basically the many assets you've been looking for in a mate.
We have all been there before! Six margaritas, three very adamant "I'm not drunk's!!!" and one phone number of a chemical engineer with braces later, there we are, scrolling through potential victims to drunk dial. We all have them; the two or three people that always pop-up into our psyche every time we somehow have a little too much too drink. The only inhibition we possess however, is not if we should actually call them, but who we really should call first! This is where our friends step in, de-claw the cell phone away from our grips and remind us that we are drunk and that it's a bad idea. But is it really a bad idea?
How often do we discuss with our friends the type of person we’re looking for when it comes to being attracted to the opposite sex? Whether male or female, we quickly go through our mental check-list; their nationality, height, weight, type of career, bank account, physical attributes and what kind of car they drive--going on and on, blah, blah, blah.
In a world full of flowers, first kisses, butterfly stomachs and candlelight dinners, we tend to see the world through relationship-colored glasses. We revel in the company of a special someone, we bask in the afterglow of an afternoon delight and we can't imagine our lives without a ‘plus one' in it.
Romance is in the air and the idea of being single is as dreadful as starting a very-much needed diet during the Holidays; you miss out on all the fun!
So, he or she has finally called! The endless hours monitoring the phone, the handful of calls to the phone company to make sure that the network connection has not been interrupted by some random freak accident, and the minor burn from the super glue on your hand to make sure you didn't miss 'the call' seems to have all paid off! You got the call, you did the little hallelujah dance and then continued to modestly answer the phone with a nonchalant 'Hello?' Now what?
Well, for those lucky ones who chat until the wee hours of the morning and got to ask the famous high-school talk-fest question "are you asleep?" – Congrats! For the others, the confused, the perplexed individuals – Listen up.
Everyone wants to know how to attract the man or woman of his or her dreams. However, when it comes to attracting the perfect mate, you may be surprised to discover that you should begin by focusing on yourself. First, if you don’t have a clear understanding of who you are, what you like, or where you are headed in life, it will be impossible to attract other people. Before you can attract someone who is your complement, you must first develop your own individual characteristics and attain your own dreams, goals, and visions.
