I don't mean to sound trite, but "tis better to have loved then lost, than never to have loved at all". Living life with someone you love causes them pain. It

I don't mean to sound trite, but "tis better to have loved then lost, than never to have loved at all". Living life with someone you love causes them pain. It also causes them joy. This is true whether you expect to die soon or live to be a hundred. So go out and live joyfully, and take what comes. If you fall in love, embrace that! "Protecting" her from loss comes at the great cost of all of the joy the two of you would otherwise share. I've had a few friends who've lost a spouse to cancer or other tragedies when they were young, and they all seemed to view the time they were married as a net positive, even accounting for the loss at the end. YMMV.