Dear Love,

I’ll give you this. You dazzle me in movies, melt me in songs, and wow me in books. But how well do I really know you?

After all, these are the stories I want to hear. I will willingly watch, listen to, or read for hours. They say, “You’re based on a true story.” But I’ve never seen a beauty marry a beast or a street peasant marry a princess. Is it possible I like the idea of you more than I like you?

Love, I know people adore you. If I post a photo of you, people clamor over it. If I write an article about you, people will actually read it. But these are the same people who lie to, cheat on, and steal from you. Many people live in a marriage without you. That’s for sure. They tell themselves the story of you only when it’s convenient for them to hear it. Is it possible they like the idea of you more than they like you?

We can pretend this isn’t the case. You know, live life like it were the movies. But maybe we are anyway, which is why we struggle to find you even inside our own homes. Leaves me to think, how well do we really know you?

Maybe the movies are as good as you look. The songs as good as you sound. The books as good as you feel. So maybe that isn’t you after all. Love, how well do I really know you?

Over the years, we’ve butted heads a few times. Do you remember me? Maybe one day we’ll meet again and we can talk about it.

Sincerely,

Doug

*This article is part of the ongoing Morning After series: short, reflective pieces on thoughts, feelings, and ideas about life. I write them the “morning after” a night out.