Any relationship that you are in is a collection of experiences. Experiences have many facets to them and will represent the emotional, mental and physical aspects of a moment in time. All of your experiences in a relationship affect how you continue to feel and think about the relationship.
Each encounter is an experience that leaves an imprint. Each imprint a guidepost for the future of the relationship. The details of the event may be buried deep in the psyche, but the experience remains as a reliable memory: how did it feel, what did I think, how did my body feel?
And while the encounter is just that important to the fabric of the relationship, there is the other piece which is the way that I think about the relationship when I am not with you. At times, I will think of you as a person, such as “He sure is smart.” At other times I may think of you as the experience that I have of you, meaning that if our latest encounter is a happy one, then my thoughts will be pleasant and even happy.
