How do I know if I'm in love or just attached to someone's potential?

Mirabai loved Krishna so fiercely that she was willing to lose everything—her reputation, her marriage, her place in society. That kind of love isn't about what you can extract or build with someone. It's about seeing them, truly, and choosing them anyway. Attachment usually whispers promises: *If they change, if they commit, if they finally understand me.* Love doesn't negotiate. It doesn't keep a ledger of unmet needs. Mirabai didn't ask Krishna to show up differently. She loved the longing itself. Here's what I'd ask yourself: Can you love this person *as they actually are right now?* Not their promise. Not their potential. Not who they might become. If you're constantly mentally rewriting them, you're attached to a story you're telling. If you can sit with them in their realness and your heart still opens—even when it hurts—that's closer to love. The hard part? Real love includes the possibility of loss. Attachment tries to guarantee safety. Love doesn't come with guarantees. It comes with the examined heart—the one that's willing to feel everything, even grief. Ask yourself: Am I here because I'm afraid to leave, or because I'm brave enough to stay?