"We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person"
About this Quote
Human beings are in a constant state of transformation, shaped by new experiences, thoughts, and emotions as time passes. Year to year, our beliefs, aspirations, and even the subtle rhythms of our personalities evolve, often in ways we scarcely recognize until we look back. The people closest to us, those we love, are undergoing parallel changes, shaped by their own journeys, inner struggles, and revelations. Love, then, becomes not a static contract between fixed beings but an ongoing process, a living dialogue between evolving identities.
To continue loving someone is to continually rediscover and remap the landscape of who they are. As affection matures, it must adjust for unexpected contours: shifting priorities, newfound passions, fading certainties. Sometimes two people grow in complementary directions, their changes reinforcing the bond. More often, the trajectory of one’s personal development diverges from the other’s, and mutual understanding demands fresh patience, broader empathy, an enduring curiosity. There is gratitude and even a sense of marvel when, through such transformations, love persists, when both individuals, changing independently, manage to find renewed connection and intimacy.
Often, relationships falter because the person we originally loved is not quite the person who stands before us now. Idealized memories can clash with present realities, making it challenging to accept the “changed person” we encounter. True affection requires an openhearted willingness to embrace the new and unfamiliar, honoring both the shared history and the unfolding present. When two people manage to do this, it is more than mere luck, it’s the convergence of adaptability, emotional generosity, and mature acceptance.
So, the enduring nature of love is not guaranteed. Its survival is a fortunate convergence that relies on both partners evolving in ways that allow them to recognize and embrace each other anew. Such continuity is rare and precious, a happy accident, but also an accomplishment.
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