Another thought on Love

Living life to the fullest has nothing to do with self indulgence but everything to do with enjoying the fruits of "proper decisions".
Probably the first "proper decision" we have to make is to Love Unconditionally which includes the mature practice of "forgiveness". True Love is made manifest by the act of forgiving, real forgiving, the type that forgives and forgets.
If love never fails then forgiveness never fails either. If love fails then forgiveness is only words spoken while hearts remain broken.
The most damage in life one can give or receive is carnal love that bases itself on lust or emotions.  
Attraction has a part in starting a relationship that could ascend to the higher plane of True Love but attraction is of the flesh which can never be satisfied. A love based on attraction will never go the distance because the one using attraction as a motivation will always be attracted to the "next attractive one".

This is more so in marriage.

Love is the decision to "Love the entire person" exclusively with singularity and no matter what. The decision to "find every part of them" Lovable. Personality, expression, conversation, body, individualism, every thing about them. Love never compares it rests in what is loved.
True Love gives the confidence to the people involved that they are completely acceptable to each other "while" differences are worked out. Not an "agreement to disagree" but a practice of Unconditional Love until they become one.

TRUE LOVE TAKES TIME to manifest it's maturity that keeps on maturing until "death do us part." How long this takes depends on how deep the decision/commitment to Love Unconditionally.
Dying to oneself is part of Maturing in True Love. Not the complete giving over of oneself but the "not demanding" everything your way type of "dying to ones self".
A person who has Unconditional Love must be a praying person in order to trust that things will "come together" in Love on both sides. We have God (who first Loved us when we were yet in our sin), as an example of Unconditional Love to a rebellious recipient. His Love was timeless and not effected by our rebellion to His Word even when He knew before we were born all our sin against Him.

If we want to see the fruits of Love in our lives and marriages we must "decide to" and "continue in" Love. Unconditional Love, Christ's Love. Without God, (for God is Love), Love will only be a practice of "tolerance" and will not incorporate longevity or maturity. Maturing Love is like Excellence: "a journey not a destination."

As a couple traveling the road of Love and Life
Love
J&E in Tn