Lucky in love?

I just had an epiphany.

A friend of mine has fallen in love for the first time, which is really wonderful. The problem is, this person is already in a legally-binding relationship, so it's also awful. It's impossible to move in any direction without someone -- or more than one person -- getting hurt, but it would also be awful to live without ever having that feeling of real, true, passionate love. So I'm thrilled and sad for my friend, all at the same time.

And then I realized how lucky I've been to have had that kind of love in my life. I know it exists. I know what it feels like. Even though it all eventually went to shit and caused me more pain than I could ever have imagined. I mean, I'll never know how he truly felt about me -- it seemed in those early years that he was as in love as I was -- but that's not the point.

The point is that I've been privileged to have felt that overwhelming, all-consuming love for someone else. It was beautiful, once. And I know that even if I never feel it again (a very sad thought, actually), I won't settle for less than that.