The following is an excerpt from the Washington Post Weekend Section on February 8, 2008 about Valentine's Day. Along with a radio talk show host, an author, and a newspaper editor, I was asked to complete the second half of these sentence stems about love. The complete article can be found here.   

Keith Miller

Your first love . . . leaves you in the clouds. On the other hand, staying in the clouds is just how you get your first love to leave.

Love at first sight . . . is what we say when we don't want to use the word "lust."

After a breakup, never . . . take all of the blame or give it all away.

The best part . . . of really loving someone is that it will help you grow up.

The longer you're with someone . . . the more you will realize they are not a clone of you!

They say you know when you know. I think that's . . . quite better than saying you'll not know when you know. (Where is Mark Twain when you need him?)

Fairy tales tend to leave out the part . . . where you actually have to tell your partner what you need in order for them to do it.

You can never predict . . . how someone will receive your act of love, but what you have the most control over is how deep and how long and how well you love.

I wish I'd known when I was 19 that . . . there is no "one" person that is right for me. I have to be the right person first, and I'll be happy with everything after that.

When it comes to relationships, people tend to underestimate . . . how much better they will feel if they do the very hard things they are avoiding.

When things get really bad . . . couples mistake their lawyers for counselors.

The most romantic . . . lover in the world is no match for the aphrodisiac called listening.

Heartache is . . . probably just indigestion. When loving has led to hurt, you'll ache all over.

Valentine's Day . . . is a mystery we should ask the aliens about when they finally find us.

The one problem with feelings . . . is that they change.

In the end, what's most important is . . . that you file your taxes on time and that you pursue the things you value the most.