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I asked a girl to marry me once. I was six years old. I don't remember much, just telling her that I had something I wanted to tell her and then scribbling the note, probably over coloring or nap time or playing with glue, before handing it to her. (Notes make everything official.)
Despite the fact that it was a quarter century ago, I remember four things about the moment I handed her the note:
- I was really, really nervous for some reason. (Perhaps I thought it was real.)
- I gave it to her with about five of our friends standing around us.
- I gave it to her in front of the chalkboard, for some reason, during play time.
- She said yes.
Needless to say, we didn't last. We made it to summer break, if I remember correctly, but when we came back the following year, she was gone. We'd grown so much over the summer between first and second grade, and it was like we were two different people.... Her beautiful blue eyes had gone cold, and there was nothing I could do. I wasn't that crushed, to be honest. I still had my GI Joes and stuff to keep me company.
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As an adult, I find childhood/puppy love to be alternately refreshing and odd. I've gotten some recent exposure to this world by looking into the eyes of a boy that I've watched grow in incremental portions since rushing to the hospital the night he was born. My nephew, Dustin Lee, is a little heartthrob apparently. (He's obviously a good-lookin' kid.)
From what I'm told, he comes home with notes in his pocket about every other day from a different girl, and every time I go home, he usually lets a new love interest's name slip somewhere before blushing and going back to talking about baseball or wrestling or video games. He doesn't talk about it much. I remember those days, being a little boy and feeling it swell up in your heart like a new spring. There's absolutely nothing like the feeling. Children lose their innocence somewhere along the way, but I'd like to think that the feel of "love" isn't an experience that doesn't fade with time. A lot of things do in life...
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Valentine's Day was a few days ago, and due to my own reasons, I'm a little late to the party tonight, but I wanted to wish everyone reading this a happy "belated" this evening. To those of you out there who have found the loves of your life, I trust that you had a good weekend.
I also trust that you understand that keeping the magic with that special someone doesn't have to begin and end every February 14; if you listen to the diamond commercials on the radio like I do, you begin to realize that there certain people in the world who believe in two myths:
1. Love can only be expressed through diamonds.
2. Love only happens on holidays.
Regardless of whether or not I ever join the ranks of rekindling the Valentine's Day spirit, I don't ever want to be that vulnerable to advertisements.
Love is a beautiful thing, whether you're 6, 30, or even 93.
Best wishes to you all in your own endeavors of its pursuit....
lol i like this. good stuff man.
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