At one point in my life I thought I could write poetry so I did, I wrote a poetry entitled Love. I was quiet proud of myself, I even nicknamed myself Lyrical One. In reality it was not a very good poem, but at that time I thought it was. The poem was about human love relationships and divine love relationships. In human relationships I defended love by pointing out the errors of human nature. In divine love relationships I pointed out the unconditional love from within.

Today there are more people looking for love than there are people in love. Why is that? I think love has now become a fantasy, a dream, a figment of the imagination, a possible impossibility. The divorce rate is high with money and infidelity being the leading causes; there is a rise in domestic violence resulting in death and suicide; women are portrayed as sex objects in the media; the rate of teenage pregnancy and single parenting continues to rise; and recently bullying has become a major problem resulting in children and teenagers committing suicide. Clearly there is a lack of love in human relationships.

The fact is love requires hard work, commitment and perseverance. In the beginning of love relationships people go through what is called the honeymoon phase. Love is new and exciting and couples tend to fall in love with the feelings of being in love. Once the honeymoon phase is over and reality sets in, some couples tend to encounter conflict, and they may no longer feel the same as they did in the beginning of the relationship. The feeling of love begins to drift away and habits that were cute in the beginning become annoying. Some couples are able to bounce back, some never do.

I believe one of the biggest challenges of love is growing together. As individuals we change as we grow older; our habits, likes and dislikes are altered. For example, people who dated in college and met again 20 years later, have to get reacquainted because so much about each person has changed over the years. It takes effort to grow together as a couple, as each partner changes interests they should simultaneously acknowledge and support each other's changes.

My observational experience from being around older couples that have been married for 40, 50, and 60 years is love thrives on consistency. Most couples felt the same way about each other as they did when they first met. The common factor among these couples was consistency; they did the same things they did when they first met. They talked, went out on dates, were romantic, and enjoyed each other's company. The common factor among all these couples was friendship; they were each other's best friend. I then concluded that couples should like and love each other.

My poem ended with my experience of unconditional love on a day to day basis. I wrote about self love which I later realized can be spiritual in nature. Love begins from within, a popular statement is "one must love oneself before anyone can love him or her." This statement has been proven true time and time again when addressing the problem of people looking for someone to make them happy or to love them.

It is my humble opinion that people should try being friends before becoming lovers. It is possible to love but not like a person. I believe this happens when people are not exactly compatible. Two people can love each other because they share some strong desirable qualities. But overall not like each other because there are qualities they simply do not like about each other, which happen to progress overtime. Despite the statistics of failing relationships, I truly believe that love can be successful when done right, and love can be a beautiful thing when you know how to love.

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When do the lines between love and friendship become wavy? Is there a period when love and friendship begin to merge? What are some of the signs that your friend may want something more? What to do when graduating between love and friendship?

There have many examples of a relationship beginning as nothing more than a friendship, only to wind up as something much more. This is actually perfectly natural as most marriages should be based on friendship as they are more likely to be successful in the long run. However, when the lines between love and friendship begin to blur, it can be confusing. Keep reading for tips on how to tell when love and friendship start to co-mingle.

Comments

Often our friends are the first ones to see a sign of romance. One sign that a friend may need to be something more is if your friends start to make comments about how cute the two of you would be as a couple. It is very possible that they may have picked up on little looks or smiles that the two of you are subconsciously giving each other.

Random Phone Calls

If the guy you have been friends with for a while all of a sudden begins making late night phone calls, he may be ready for a more romantic relationship with you. In addition, pay attention to what you talk about on these calls. If they last a while and you discuss your day, then it is a clear sign that the nature of the relationship may soon change.

Pet Names

Friendship can often become love when the two of you begin to develop pet names for each other. This can take place when you go from calling each other by name and replace them with such things as Sweetie or Babe. In addition, if these names don't make things awkward between the two of you, it may be time to take the friendship to the next level. If you also find your heart melting whenever he uses one of these pet names, you are more than ready for a romantic relationship with your friend.

Touching Increases

It is common to give your friend a pat on the back or on the arm, but when those pats start to linger a little bit more, it could be a sign that there is something more than just friendship between the two of you. In addition, if the high fives have now moved on to gentle hand holding, that is another sign that the romantic feelings are beginning to build. Also look for hugging and a gentle kiss on the forehead or cheek as signs that your friendship is about to take a different turn.

Spending Time Together

You may also be ready for more than just friendship when the two of you begin pairing off when in a group environment. While it is natural to lean toward one person, if you find yourself doing it time and time again, you may subconsciously attracted to him and it may be time to act on those feelings.

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Janice Evans is a dating and relationship expert. Her passion is to write informative articles for women who want to improve their love lives. Visit her site for more information.