when you like a flower you pluck it, but when you love a flower you water it daily
unconditional love is binding by definition. It cannot be broken. If you choose to love someone this way, you have committed to giving them a place in your heart, regardless of the outcome
but when you declare unconditional love, you cannot simply say I have it now. You have to water your plants. You do so by providing the person you love with safety, happiness, nourishment, inspiration, and freedom. You are committing to do all of that when it is within your means to do so
that means that you may have to make personal sacrifices when loving them becomes difficult, such as when work or school interferes, when they make mistakes, and when they harm themselves or others
there is one exception to this standard: when loving them robs you of your presence. At that point, the plant is dead, and being with them would only make it more difficult for you to unconditionally love other people in your life, because you’d be draining your water into something that will not be affected by it
unconditional love is not unconditional tolerance
if you love your partner, they sit at the crossroads of the things you love. What makes breaking up so hard is that it leaves behind an unfillable void. The only way to move forward from that void is by learning to love new things. You could also accept that the things you love will always be strongly associated with the previous relationship, and do everything in your power to bring that relationship back to life
and if you don’t make a decision, regret will weight you down for the rest of your life. Though, it’s probably best choosing to move on