Do you know the moment when love dies?

Like many other people, I often find it hard to pinpoint exactly when it is that love begins.  The exciting first few moments of realization often make for the most memorable of our lives, especially if we’re dealing with someone who will eventually turn out to be our life partners.

But hard as it may be, I believe it is easier to pinpoint exactly when love begins than to find out the moment when love begins to die.

Is it an argument?  A disappointing act committed by a thoughtless partner?  An insensitive comment mentioned out of the blue?  A physical blow?  A revelation of insincerity, infidelity or even insolvency?

When, exactly, does love begin to fade to the point that you’ve really had enough?

The saddest thing is in knowing that we will often cling to a love past that point.  Many of us would rather ‘give it another shot’ or would maybe be in denial for a time.  We often can’t accept that it’s over, and we try, vainly, to rekindle that which is already dead.  Ever try re-lighting an old matchstick?  No matter how many times you strike the matchbox, you can never get it to re-ignite.  Such is the way of a love that’s died.  Sadder days you will rarely find.

Personally I think it all depends on each one of us, and on what we consider most essential to love.  Each of us has our own non-negotiables, our own most vital of principles and values.  When a love gets to the point where those values are compromised, then the invisible line we never expected our loved ones to cross has just been crossed… and it’s up to us to make a stand about what’s really important in our lives.  And really, for anyone else but our own children or parents, the line will almost inevitably hold… and the love will almost inevitably die.

I guess this explains why I’ve gone through all the relationships I have.  At various points in my life, I’ve considered different things to be a priority to me, and each new girl just seems to find herself on the losing end of the comparison.  I haven’t yet met the one woman in life for whom I’d be willing to compromise anything; that one "true" love of my life.  And the more I think about it, the more I realize that true love is so absolutely precious and rare, because it is that sacred gift of being willing to compromise all for someone who is willing never to let you compromise.  Every other person seems to be just another new experiment in "how a love can die".