Infatuation

"There are few people who are not ashamed of their love affairs when the infatuation is over."

--Francois, Duc De La Rochefoucauld

"Strange, that some of us, with quick alternate vision, see beyond our infatuations, and even while we rave on the heights, behold the wide plain where our persistent self pauses and awaits us."

--George Eliot

"It is best to love wisely, no doubt; but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all."

--William M. Thackeray

"The essence of love begins when infatuation ends."

--Source Unknown

These quotes link into the last poem that I posted in the sense of "nothing gold lasts forever." Infatuation is rarely seen as infatuation to those that are infatuated. Of course there are always the exceptions; there are some brazen specimens that boldly brandish their infatuation to the world in all awareness of their daft state. But the majority of the time the infatuated are simply too blinded by their own ephemeral frenzied fix to even see straight. Now, just to clear things up a bit for the sake of my brief blog entry-this time around I am taking the infatuation strain off of the romantic arena and honing it in on the infatuation of friendships.

I feel that even friendships are fully capable of experiencing that "honeymoon phase" just like any romantic relationship. That blissful high facet that always takes place upon the inauguration of any new or newfound friendship. Sometimes it may be a friendship that develops with someone who has been in or around our life all along but never kindled into anything more; then due to a chance circumstance or not so chance encounter...it began to bloom into more. The length of time that this "honeymoon phase" can last ranges greatly depending on the person(s). It does not have to be a bad thing...this almost euphoric proclivity. Why would it be a derogatory thing if you are simply basking in the presence of another individual that you are becoming more close knit with and enjoy the company of? The crunch happens when you allow this newfound connection to invade and infiltrate every other area of your life and as a result end up choking out some of the really good friendships and relationships you previously had. When this new addition and attachment initiates a contamination of any other bonds that were previously prominent in your life, this is the point when evaluation needs to be done regarding this new association and preceding associations. Although priority is a word that needs to be taken into account in these situations, balance should take supremacy. Balance of relationships, friendships, and activities is an indispensable asset to cultivating, maintaining and preserving bonds and connections. Overpowering is the most effective way to lose someone, I learned this one the hard way. But on the opposite end of the spectrum I have also witnessed the overwhelming infatuation between two other people and let me tell you-this quells and vanquishes any ambition to perpetuate any further closeness with someone. There is absolutely nothing wrong with adding another heart to love in your life and investing time in them too. But if you plan on devoting the majority of all your time exclusively to only a few choice people or maybe just one choice person, you cannot expect the other relationships in your life to flourish the way they once did if they flourish at all anymore. This may not even bother some people-the loss of fondness and bond in friendships that used to be inseparable. Sometimes it is inevitable due to nothing more than change-the change in people, the change in time, the change in life. Just don't ever let the naivety of new friendship/relationship bliss take the place of other friendships/relationships that have gone through and come out of the infatuation stage and stood the test of time. The most difficult ones are the most rewarding.

And sometimes when someone comes out on the other side of their infatuation haze, when things have worn themselves out and died down...there will be someone waiting for you still. The person that waited through the whole period of straying from them for someone else. The person that had just invested too much of themselves and their time in that friendship that used to be inseparable to just walk away. The person that loved the other too damn much to give up on what they used to have. But sometimes there won't be someone there that waited patiently through it all, hoping and praying that the person would come back to them when they opened their eyes and saw the truth. When you neglect friendships and relationships for a season you always face the chance (whether you realize it or not) that they will not be there when you come back to your senses. Why would you want to risk that?