Love...what is it?

I was talking with a friend recently, and she was talking about how she was developing strong feelings towards another individual. After a few seconds I asked "so, are you falling in love with him?" and she had to stop, think about it for a second and then, like the debater that I know her to be, asked "can you define 'love'?" I sat there for a second, thought about it, dug deep into my heart and soul and can up with the definition of "love is never having to beg for sex". So, this got me a look which I had to smile at and then dig even deeper for the true answer.

Love is a deep longing for the individual. You love a person when you don't need to be with them, but you want to be with them. You don't 'love' the air that you breath because you have to have it to survive, it is not a mutual relationship. You can 'love' lasagna simply because if you don't eat lasagna, you won't die or you won't get sick. You can live a long life without a certain food. Granted, you can't 'love' food since you need some form of substance to survive, but you can love certain types of food. Love is a deep emotional response to having to be with someone either psychological, emotional, mental, geographical or physical, again, not because you HAVE to be, but because you WANT to be.

Not the most romantic and ideal definition, I know, but it is my own thoughts. Just thought I would share...