Hi, gang
I’ve been tossing the Valentine’s Day theme around in my mind. . . .
As they walked along together, Granger folded the newspaper and stuck it under his left arm.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
“If they made coins that small, you’d probably get change back.”
Hmm. His friend was usually thoughtful, sometimes even pensive, but rarely morose. He glanced over, waiting.
“Aw, it’s this whole love thing. People tell me they love me, but I just don’t feel it. I’m not even sure what they mean when they say that.” His eyes scanned across the street from the park, noting the garish pinks/reds/purples of Valentine’s Day marketing in the display windows of Pack-Em-In Dry Cleaners, Stoltz Travel and HowYaBean Latte Dah.
Granger slowed his steps. “You up for some coffee?”
“Yeah, sure.” They let a TransMat bus cough its way past, then jaywalked across the street. The remnants of yesterday’s rain reflected pinkly against a frowning overcast suggesting the possibility of more.
Coffee in hand and seated, Granger waited until he knew his friend was listening.
“Love can mean a lot of things, and it may be being shown you in many ways. But because it doesn’t show up in the one or two narrowly-defined forms you’ve made up your mind are the only ones allowable, you don’t recognize it.”
His friend was somewhat taken aback; Granger usually wasn’t so plainspoken. Nor was he finished.
“It isn’t that you’re not being given or shown love. It’s that you refuse to receive it.”
Hours later, coffee long since gone and both of them on to other daily responsibilities, his friend caught himself several times pausing and rethinking their visit. Am I really demanding everyone around me conform their love toward me only in ways I want to see it? Is the reason they don’t spend more time around me because I’m self-absorbed and will only take without giving in return? How often have I offered love toward others and had it blunted and tossed aside because it didn’t fit their ideas of what love is?
Well, I didn’t expect this to turn into a full-blown 2nd Cup–but I hope our Saturday afternoon visit is okay, anyhow. However you define love, and however you extend it to others, as we approach Valentine’s Day remember that it’s a day. The accompanying thoughts and feelings, though, spread far and wide. Perhaps it might be good to allow our ideas of love and how its shown to spread beyond a single day as well.
Relationships. They’re where it’s at. Visit with you Monday, everyone.
Loving you,
Dan (c)