Getting to know someone

I don't think I ever reflected on dating in my teens or early twenties. I was too occupied with sports, arts, my studies and volunteering to have time to think about relationships. Love? What's that? So you mean I actually have to consider loving someone in a romantic way?

It wasn't until I moved to Canada, and started dating again that I actually thought about something that has recently struck me [yet again] as the process we follow to fall in love. It all starts (apparently) with getting to know someone.

I used to believe that people fell in love magically, that somehow sparks just flew between two individuals and voila! - now they're in love! Through time, my own experiences and the privilege of witnessing other friends' evolving romantic relationships, I have come to appreciate the value of getting to know people.

And this idea does not apply only to romantic relationships. It applies to all sorts of relationships. I pride myself in being a good friend and in having amazing friends as well. And if I have to reflect on how my great friends and I came together, I am pretty sure it all started with trying to get to know each other. It was the amazing process of discovering the person that I had met at a conference, at a friends' party, in my dorm, at my school, through another friend, over the internet (yay Facebook, MySpace and blogs!), etc.

And now that I do know these people in a more personal way, I am amazed at the fact that this idea (the value of getting to know someone, regardless of whether you want to date them or just be friends) was so neat. To my loved ones (friends and family), thank you for giving me the privilege of getting to know you.

UPDATE - Yes, someone has actually thought about the psychological process of getting to know someone!