Conclusion

 

Pictured above: The couple in Salamanca, Spain that we kept running into on their wedding day.  Originally, I was trying to photograph the design on the building, but then I decided this couple was interesting.  We saw four different weddings on this Saturday.

I know this blog sounds extremely romantic and probably quite cheesy.  I tried to incorporate what I have learned in class, but I also wanted to showcase the types of love I see among my family and friends and the ways in which they have to work to develop and maintain that love.  In writing this blog, I have learned so much.  Mainly, I realize that for me, love is always a form of work, it is simply the style and commitment of that work that changes over time.  I truly enjoyed this project, and I would have liked to continue to work on it.  When meeting with Dr. Basu on Monday, she told me to write an analysis paper about my blog.  I tried multiple times and different styles, but I could never make anything work.  To me, my blog includes analysis and theory already.  To then theorize and analyze that was something I could not complete effectively.  I hope that as you explore the blog, you will understand that and treat my blog as an analysis paper (as I had originally intended when I wrote my Final Prospectus).  However, I did try to write a paragraph that best describes the purpose of this blog and what I hope I showed throughout my entries.

Love Is Work

Love is always a form of work.  The type of work and the commitment to that work are what change over time, as someone ages.  Different forms of love require different types of work.  For children, the work occurs via the socialization process and involves learning what love is and how it is expressed.  When hooking up, the work involves denying emotional connections in preference for short-term relationships that entail less investment and less work.  When it comes to mate selection, the work is in choosing a partner who will be a good match.  Love among the aged involves working through life’s blessings and challenges over the years, cooperating and adapting to new circumstances together.

 

 

Pictured above: It’s only fair to include a picture of my boyfriend, Doug with me after my undergraduate graduation.  I had originally planned to include us in the content of the blog, but as my project developed, I realized that my family and friends better embodied the themes I was hoping to showcase.