where to compromise?

"i just want to say that this nothing has meant more to me than so many somethings" -kathleen kelly- 

sometimes i imagine scenarios-- i shout the perfect zingers, i calmly emphasize my argument with precise and perfect words, and i feel and taste the exact tone of the vocabulary i would utter to the boy-of-the-moment following his apology or breath-taking act of commitment or desire.

the problem with this is, life never quite plays out according to my imagined reality. in my head i express everything i want to say, but when i see the man who is still a boy in so many ways, i catch my tongue, knowing in moments he would say the same thing to me if we were not two entirely different people. 

and so i ask-- at what point is the line drawn? what differences are too great as to impede a future, of a happiness together that ventures beyond dancing within the lines of chemistry?

some people manage. they care enough for who they each are despite the differences. but where do they compromise? because love is about compromise, but love is not a compromise of yourself. 

i believe when you love someone you love their whole soul. you behold their full potential, your potential with them.
but with this beholding of potential you can begin to envision that with a few tweaks here and a major overhaul there, he will fold more snugly into heart.

...i wonder...

if you want the vision of him rather than the reality of him, does that mean you cannot ever sincerely love?

this is one that might always befuddle me.