Take the looks of one person, the work habits of another, the intellect of a third, the romantic artistry of yet another, and the soul of a fifth. Slice, dice, mix, and stir. Serving for one: special friend.
A "special friend," of course, is my current best term for people far enough past being teens or twentysomethings that "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" seems silly. ("He was old enough to be a boy's father around the first Gulf War, wasn't he?")
The problem is that we can't change other people. We can experience with them sunsets of contentment and peace or nights of mattress gymnastics. Then we wake up to coffee and headlines and reality.
Wrinkles, a penchant for getting out to work too slowly, a need to have everything explained and every g-spot mapped, and the profundity of Willy Loman. What was I drinking, smoking, thinking? More plausibly and less cinematic ... this is a solitary bird who will never pair well. Or ... I've lost the mental hike shoes for this climb.
If only we could combine the favorite bits of each potential special friend into the Perfect One ... !
6 comments:
picky-picky-picky!
My goodness. Coffee, headlines, and reality? What planet do solitary birds wake up on? Do they sing there?
Surely you've awakened to a smile on another's face? That special smile? You know the one - the smile of smiles - one that's perfectly human, and perfectly delighted to awaken with you, to you? Haven't you ever smiled that smile?
On the other hand, there certainly is contentment to be found in kissing the joy as it flies, like the man said. A little here, a little there - a life could be full with such as these.
But never say never. To everything there is a season. I predict you'll be smitten before the next solstice. That is the way it goes, you know.
Carry on.
Sadly, since you can only love perfection, you will never love.
Grow up.
The "problem" is that we can't change people? Would you like to create your friends, play God, play Frankenstein, fashion for yourself the ideal lover?
What do you think of eugenics?
People aren't a problem if you learn to accept them as they are, flawed but loveable. Catherine of Sienna has many great lines on the way God is "crazy in love" with us, his wayward, willful, disappointing human creations.
Just what do you have to offer to this perfect person?
The Perfect One! Narcisis's reflection!
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