what is attraction?

I often find myself titling a lot of these posts with only questions, but I suppose that is what life is all about. I have never found myself not questioning anything, because it's human nature to ponder pretty much everything. But along with all questions, I intend to give input on my own interpretation of things.

This could be quite appropriate for the upcoming Valentine's Day...

What is attraction exactly? Is it merely physical? Is it defined in the moment where your eyes seem magnetic to someone who passes by? Or is it after you have gotten to know someone where you really feel connected to them?
I feel like I have felt every aspect of what we call attraction. It was only this weekend at my conference meet that my eyes couldn't keep off of this one dark haired, blue-eyed swimmer from another team. He was captivating, yet I couldn't quite figure out how, out of all the male bodies running around, I was especially drawn to him. And even after only watching him, I found many things we had in common - we swam the same events, acted the same in relation to the rest of the team, etc. It's funny how the mind rushes to find anything that could spark conversation or tie two people together. I find that there are degrees of attraction from all of this. It starts with mere physical attraction and then immediately (if it gets that far) into emotional. Only by looking at this guy, I was already trying to find inner interests that we shared.
This is also the point where I play devil's advocate with the whole "looks don't matter" business.
C'mon... who are you really fooling? What really sparks the first bit of interest? I know it's not not the fact that you are in the same English course. Besides, everyone takes English, right?
Maybe what I am trying to get at is that attraction is such a flexible definition. Some people take it more seriously and definitely consider it in different situations.
As for me, I only see attraction as something fleeting at this point. The fact that some person's glance can get your heart racing doesn't mean much to me anymore. It happens here and there, and sure, it's nice to know if you can catch their attention back, but it usually doesn't go anywhere.
Those little bits of eye contact only happen in passing, whether it be on your college campus or at a swim meet that is 8 hours away from home. What happens from there is how much you are willing to put into something that could just be the "1st degree of attraction".
I found out that this guy is from Oklahoma and goes to college in Indiana. He is graduating this year.
...my point exactly.

I don't intend to make this a huge downer entry or whatever, but I just am still asking myself, when is it time to realize that it is more than just mere attraction? Or when is it appropriate to pursue a certain attraction? This I can't define.
Maybe it's just that gut feeling you get, even when the person doesn't take your breath away from one glance. I have luckily had that happen a few times. They, 9 times out of 10, end up being better than most of those knock-outs.

Over the "1st degree attraction," I would take the "2nd degree" attraction (or one based on more personality) attraction anyday. At this point, I think it's better to trust my gut over my eyes. Even those can deceive you, no matter what kind of vision you may have.

So I guess this means that the fastest way to my heart is through my stomach. :)