Being "In Love"

I have been thinking a lot about the term "in love." What does it mean to be in love?

Is it being in New Relationship Energy (NRE)? Not for me. NRE is strong and intoxicating for me. For me it's that shiny new toy thing. But, I have had NRE fade away as the realities of life  came back into focus or the bubble dreams popped. For me NRE is not in love, nor is it love, NRE is NRE. So, what is this being in love thing?

I thought about it more. I even posted to Reddit about it. I wondered if "in love" even existed. I started thinking that no, it didn't. I started thinking being in love is just layman's terminology for NRE. I started thinking, there is no such thing as being in love.

Then I was up at night and started thinking that maybe I was thinking all wrong about it. I have come to a new understanding of being in love as being in me. To me the emphasis is the word "in." In is like roots that have grown into my soil. It's not about romance at all. I am in love with my wife, with my kids, with my dearest friends, selected past partners and even with my cat.

What if being in love has nothing to do with romance? What if instead being in love is about letting someone into your being, into your soil, into your soul?

Now that's a powerful concept to carry into life, to carry into polyamory.