"It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy; it is
disposition alone. Seven years would be insufficient to make some people
acquainted, and seven days are more than enough for others." - Jane
Austen (Sense and Sensibility)
Currently, I am reading this novel for one of my summer classes and this quote struck me as being such a beautiful sentiment. As always, I find that God is directing me exactly where I need to go and is giving me one of my greatest joys, books, to share clever thoughts with me. I have never read this book of my own accord but so far, I love it! I've always been a fan of Jane Austen novels but haven't read them all. This summer, I will read 5 of her 6 novels. Heck, I'll probably throw in the last book for good measure.
Anyway, this thought in simple terms means: It is not time or availability that determines a love connection between two people; it is personality alone. Seven years would not be enough to make some people fall in love, and seven days are more than enough for others.
To me, that is such a beautiful thought and clearly depicts what I think about falling in love. There are so many relationships in my past that I feel were forced, and so many others that I disregarded by saying "it's not a good time for me" or "I don't want to do distance" or "I don't have time for a relationship" or some other excuse. Yet, I always found myself admitting to friends if a guy came along who genuinely interested me, none of those things would matter. I would make the time and do it gladly! I have even received backlash from guys who say I didn't give them a fair shot, but in reality, I knew they weren't for me. While I don't fall fast, I do know rather quickly about someone. Within a month of every relationship I've been in, I've known whether it would be long or short and whether it would end or not. Even my most substantial relationship, I predicted would not end in marriage despite its lengthy duration. I predict that I will know within in a month of dating my forever man, too.
I thank God for bringing such a beautiful sentiment into my heart and sharing it through an intriguing story of the quest for love and the factors that can derail it. It is incredible to me how little has changed in over 200 years. We have become so much more advanced as a society, intellectually, but still have difficulties with intimacy. I am interested in continuing to analyze the parallels between this novel (published in the early 1800s) and life today.
This quote says it all. In issues of the heart, nothing else does matter but a compatible personality and temperament conducive to a relationship. It really is as simple as I've always believed it to be. I've just never had the good fortune of experiencing it, but hey, I'm still young! :)
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