Home » All You Need Series, Love & Relationships

Is Love Enough?

6 February 2010 6 Comments

Is love enough?

Well.

Is it?

Do you think that The Beatles were correct when they sang “All you need is love”?

Do you think that all it takes is to fall in love with someone?

That you can overcome any challenge, any obstacle, and any struggle if you have love?

Love is powerful, but is it that powerful?

Photo Credit – Cati Kaoe (Flickr)

In a day where nearly 50% of marriages end in divorce, is it still relevant to argue that love is “enough”?

Trust me, I’m not a “love expert.” I’m no Will Smith in Hitch and I’m no Dr. Phil. I am, however, currently engaged to a wonderful fiance, which makes me believe I either know a little bit on the topic or just got incredibly lucky. In this “month of love,” I don’t want to make love seem like something less than it is.

After all, as someone (my source said Sean Connery, Elisa Google-stalked it and found it attributed to some guy named Franklin P. Jones) said: “Love may not make the world go round, but I must admit that it makes the ride worthwhile.”

I just want to be a realist and treat love for what it is, not what it isn’t.

In order for a relationship to “go the distance,” you DO need love, but you also need some other things.

You need TRUST. You need to be able to know that your other will be there for you when you need them. Ask Tiger about this one.

You need PATIENCE. There will be times when you’re annoyed or when you go through struggles, you need to persevere and not give up on it. When you have little rascals running around your house screaming, while your spouse is asking you to help with dinner, this may come in handy.

You need COMPROMISE. No, you can’t always have your way, even if you are the girl. You have to make sacrifices.

Elisa asked us all to choose a song, and I feel this one is appropriate, as it shows that even though a couple will get old and go through many stages, the key things that are at the heart of that relationship, they remain the same.

Your bones may get weak, your skin may get wrinkled, you may go through a mid-life crisis, and you may drive a lot slower. But the one thing that should still be there is your love and the tenets that your relationship were built on. Trust, patience, and compromise will become a whole lot more important as you mature.

The song is about a couple whose love, though they may have aged, has remained as strong as it was the day they met.

What do you think? Is love enough for you? If not, what are other characteristics of a relationship that must exist?

All You Need Blogger: Jackie Adkins

Jackie Adkins is a 20-something blogger who hangs out over at The Curbside Marketer. Although he usually delves into marketing and social media, he’s getting ready to get hitched later this year to his fiance, so he’s decided to talk a little about love. Check out his RSS to hang out with him in the future.

Song: Mark Schultz – Walking Her Home

Share/Bookmark

Did you know I have a private newsletter that goes out ONLY to subscribers? It offers stories of travel adventures, writing brilliance, links to great content around the internet and other crazy shaningans.


Related Posts with Thumbnails
  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.com Grace Boyle

    This is a beautiful post! Ironically, my girlfriends and I always say, “Love isn’t enough.” I really don’t think that it’s enough. It’s the foundation, it’s important, it will always remain but there are certain core things such as patience, compromise, trust, etc. that need to be there for a successful relationship.

    I have an ex that I deeply love, he loves me in return, even still. But all the “other things” just aren’t there. It’s an odd feeling, but it’s why I know that if love were enough, I would be with him. But it’s not. So I’m not. Great post, Jackie!
    .-= Grace Boyle´s last blog ..Friday Linky Love + Shatterboxx Rocks My Socks =-.

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

      Grace – Amen! I agree so much that love must be the foundation to most romantic relationships now-a-days. Sure, 100 *heck 50* years ago that might not have been the case but thanks to our free-loving hippie parents and the era of Hollywood and Disney endings it has evolved into being what they are about. Sure, there are some that can get by without it, but I contend a majority of people seek it out in their long-term commitments.

      But it certainly isn’t enough. It isn’t going to pay the electric bill or put out the trash or wear sexy lingerie. There’s a reason that “irreconcilable difference” is a legitimate grounds for divorce in America. Sometimes even though you love someone and may have even tried to parlay that into something more, it just doesn’t work. No one did anything wrong, and there is nothing fake or unreal about the love – the circumstances and situation just didn’t lend to anything further.

      And sometimes loving someone is knowing when to let them go.

  • http://jackieadkins.com Jackie Adkins

    Definitely agree with you, Grace, and I’m glad you liked the post because writing about love scared the crap out of me, haha. Definitely not my forte in terms of writing topics. Thanks for dropping a comment!
    .-= Jackie Adkins´s last blog ..Analogous Friday: Olé Olé Edition =-.

  • Pingback: Tweets that mention Is Love Enough? | Ophelias Webb -- Topsy.com

  • http://diamondkt.blogspot.com David

    I like those 3 ingredients – trust, patience and compromise. I can do the patience and I can do the compromise. Although the trust is something I sometimes have issues with due to some past experiences. Trust develops over time though. And while it develops, I think understanding is an important 4th ingredient to have.
    .-= David´s last blog ..Stupid Is As Stupid Does =-.

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

      David – It’s sad how the actions of those in our past can sabotage our feelings for those in our present and future. It’s like we hold people completely unaccountable for things they never had any control over. Impossible standards to measure up to.

      I’m a pro at that. Thinking of my past when looking at the possibility of a future. Which isn’t fair and isn’t right. But I’m without a magic solution to make it stop. I’m sure you aren’t in the same boat as me, your comment just made me think more on my own circumstance. Oh god, I’m one of those people now. Damn…….. :D