Cupid's Playbook

Have you seen clips of Tom Cruise on the Oprah Winfrey Show during the early months of his relationship with Katie Holmes? He was absolutely giddy. He jumped on the furniture and proclaimed that he was in love. There was no question in our minds that he had been bitten by the Love Bug.

The bite of the Love Bug has some other symptoms as well. The bite can leave you blind to what is really going on in a relationship. It can paralyze your ability to reason. It can also increase your ability to make excuses for yourself and your partner.

There is no cure for the bite of the Love Bug. The effects of being bitten can last three to six months. They call this the honeymoon stage of a relationship. During this period of time, you are not yourself. Trust us! It is important to take things slow during this time, build the relationship and really get to know the person you are dating. If a relationship is suppose to last a lifetime, what is the hurry?

When we fall in love, it is easy to overlook some personality flaws in our potential partners that can be fatal to a relationship. Go into a relationship with your eyes wide open. It is more painful to exit a relationship that is six months old rather than one that is six weeks old.