roots.

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.
- Captain Corelli's Mandolin. (Movie)

I like this quote. I would like to think that in love will stick around forever, but the foundational love that this quote speaks of is too often forgotten. So often when in love goes, so does the relationship. Love is a feeling, and love is a choice. Combined it's better than just one or the other.

I specifically love the part about the roots. It's a beautiful thing to stop and realize that your imagination is not good enough to create a situation without the person you love.