Enter the half-joke, half-serious concept of “silver springing” someone. It’s the idea that you and all the love you bring with you are unforgettable — like a ghost that will eternally haunt them.

Dear Abby: I have a dilemma. I’ve been dating my boyfriend for over a year, and he’s great and all, but I don’t feel like he’s putting as much effort into the relationship as he first did when we started going out. All of my friends keep telling me, “If he wanted to he would,” but I feel shallow thinking that. So tell me, if he wanted to, would he?