Crushing Circumstances

I don't know if many of you know this about me but  much in the way that I am pro-selfie, I am also pro-crush.

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day where she lamented the fact that no one seems to have crushes any more. In fact, people rarely use the word crush at all. They use ambiguous phrases like "I have a thing for them" or "I have feelings for them" or simply, "I like them." Honestly, I am guilty of saying all of these phrases at one point or another but lets break down why there are probably better ways of phrasing your emotions.

"I have a thing for them."
You have what for them? Is it a package? Is it a fist with their name on it? Is it a bomb? If it's a bomb, they probably don't want the thing. The word that you're probably reaching for there is feelings, which leads me to...

"I have feelings for them."
I elaborated on my thoughts about this phrase way back in September in my post What are Feelings and What Do I Do With Them? (Side note, that post is still the most read post on this blog so I guess I wasn't alone in my thoughts there)
To sum it up, we all have a lot of varying emotions for every single person in our lives. If you care about someone so much that you get butterflies in your stomach when you see them, I think you can afford to put a more concise label on things.

"I like them."
Well if they're a decent human being, I probably like them too. I'm willing to bet that your version of "like" and my version of "like" are different in that context. I know everyone has always been taught to downplay their emotions, to shrug off happiness like it is something that comes around every Wednesday but maybe you feel that this time is different. You are allowed to express that in words that seem extravagant and rash. It's going to be okay. You can find the balance later.

After reading all of this, if you feel that you agree with any of the points being made, please consider using the word crush. It's adorable and to the point and no one is going to dare fault you for that.

Afterword:
I failed to add that this does not only apply to romantic situations. If you have friend crushes, right on because friend crushes are the best and they are a lucky person if they are the recipient of your potential friendship.