When you're young you don't worry about anything before jumping into a relationship. Love was simple and pure back then; you like someone, you get together if the feeling is mutual. When you're young you just love.

There's never a love quite like your first. You're reckless with your heart because you have a lot to give. You didn't know that someday, you'll run out of love and start doubting everyone's intentions because it's part of growing up. Once you've been broken and shattered, you lose that innocent part of you and hard as you try, you can't possibly piece it back.

As an adult, it seems, relationships are built on several factors. Whether you share the same family background, cultural background, religious beliefs, his short term and long term plans for his future. You watch his habits, whether you can accept it if they're a little quirky. You learn about his past, whether it's something you can live with. You bring him to meet your family and friends because you know now that relationships don't revolve around just two people.

Ironically, none of it is love. Nowadays, you can even be in a relationship without love because we are creatures of habits and sometimes it's just easier staying in a loveless relationship than to go out, look for someone new and risk getting hurt again.

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Wrote the above some years back, about a relationship I was afraid to get out of because I didn't want the trouble of starting anew and getting to know someone all over again. My friend sharing her boyfriend troubles last week reminded me of how relevant this still is.