My dear,

True love doesn’t run you over, or smack you beside the head. No, true love is like a seed, you don’t notice when it gets inside of you. It takes firm root and you feel your heart tug a bit, but you ignore it. It sprouts a small tree within you and you get scared. (Who after-all wants a tree inside them?) That tree grows and grows, it grows both quicker and slower than you’d thought possible (it’s mystifying actually). Then you reach a point where you realize that that tree is what’s bringing fresh air to your heart and making it smile all day long. And after a lot of time arguing with yourself you finally admit that you like this tree and what it brings (even if that makes you weird). And you realize that you’re willing to keep nurturing the growth of this tree, and of course, keep the person who’s planted this tree within you beside you the whole time doing so.

True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.

The only bells you should be hearing are wedding bells, after you know, you’ve stopped being scared of the tree.

Falsely yours,
Erich Wolf Segal