Thoughts

I had a sudden realisation. The kind that comes when you spread your vines of thought everywhere and it all fits.

What is the difference between a romance and a friendship?

First and foremost, the absence of sex.
In the latter, presumably
There are probably other differences but this is probably the best place to start adjusting. To remove that maniacal craving.
Love will still and always be there. To no lesser degree. But channeled in a different form. The problem is whether I'd actually be able to express it in a different way, without diminishing the intensity. Because I doubt it'd be healthy to ignore the magnitude aspect.
or does it mean that with sex removed, another way expressing love is also removed?

Should a partner be closer than friends? Seems so. Or are friends just different? On a different scale. A different level. It also seems that if two friends become too close, they seem like a couple. I suppose the amount of time spent with each other is a great way to differentiate the two.
check. Ok good, firstly remove sex. then, devote less time. To me, it seems, that lessens the intensity by a lot.
Do we have a limited capacity, in terms of love?
I suppose we do.
Spending time on someone. That's the cap. Time. We have limited time. And resources and mental processing capacity. For real love entails love that is shown.
Expectations. Does that result in major differences? Would we expect ourselves to do more for a spouse than for a friend? Yes, it seems.

All in all, I seem to be reaching the conclusion that I need to love her less, because I am limited in many ways. I cannot have a friend who would compete with a spouse for love.

Consider also the support offered. A spouse offers emotional support while family and friends offer social support. Bereavement is ranked as the greatest trauma one can experience. What is meant by emotional support? or social support? Support? Support means help. Help is something others offer which one cannot achieve or accomplish. Social support according to wiki: "physical and emotional comfort given to us by our family, friends, co-workers and others". Help is the relief of discomfort. There are a few forms of discomfort one can feel: physical, emotional, mental etc.

Perhaps the categorization proposed by certain social psychologists is too simple. Maybe they meant that one turns primarily to a spouse when we feel sad because a spouse, someone who sees us day and night, by sheer trial and error, knows how to make us happy again. We leave our families to join a spouse in a romantic relationship. Maybe a spouse cannot offer extensive physical or mental support, but emotionally they can. Quoth many a movie: He makes me laugh.

Considered in this line, not many pple can assume the role of a spouse. Anyone can potentially be a friend.
A romance is a relationship where two people are devoted to making each other happy, safe, and confident about life. And growth. The careful nurturing of each other, because presumably we would only be happy in growth and flourishment.
Does this not occur with a friend?

Sighs. Still it boils down to sex, and starting a family. Therefore the long hours required in getting to know each other etc. But no, no! People talk about having someone to share life with, to share everything with, to count on being there every step of the way. Someone you can't resist giving everything to. Someone whom you can't live without. Why don't you feel that in a friend? How do you remove it from a relationship?
I can't help that. It will always be there, and I will pounce on every sign of hope given to me. To be able to spend the rest of my life seeing that one person. How do you erase that from a relationship? I feel that I can only dampen it, until something better comes along.
Is that the only way?

Then I do not know what this six months will be for. Probably just enough time to put out the fire of a burning house with a beach bucket and shovel. Bury it. Let it not see light. No more.