Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Beyond the Squishy

Love.
 
(That's love with a period behind it for punctuation)

 
Love.

 
Love is one of those typically odd English language words whose sound and spelling are alike regardless of how you use it.

 
Love, the noun, looks and sounds just like love, the verb.

 
Some languages give you a distinction between the different parts of speech in word usage.

 
Not English, however.
(I guess we couldn't afford the extra letters or something.)

 
Love is love.

 
But...um, not really.

 
Love.

 
Just to exhale the word elicits a plethora of responses, thoughts, attitudes and emotions.

 
Some see carefully scored romantic scenes of roses, candles and lace.

 
Some see mad passion, released in impetuous abandon.

 
Some feel the excruciating pain of shattered emotions.

 
Some will begin to cry.

 
Some feel such a deep sense squishy fluffiness, they'd almost swear they were being digested by a Teddy bear.

 
Some: numb.

 
Love.

 
Love & Ollie.

 
People seem to love to talk about Ollie and love.

 
Some have transformed nouns to adjectives to describe me in such terms as Teddy bear or puppy. And I suppose this has something to do with how they view me, and my intimate relationship with a noun.

 
That noun?
Love.

 
And, I suppose that on my "What's Love All About" pie-chart, the biggest wedge of color would certainly be dedicated to the "Love is squishy" legend.

 
I'm just that kind of person.   

 
For me love is, in so many ways, about teary-eyed embraces, uplifting utterances and understanding glances.

 
I do hereby proclaim to be a squishy, gushy man of fluffy warmth.

 
Need a Teddy bear? I'm that guy.

 
Need a sad-eyed, loyal puppy? I'm on-call, pretty much 24/7.

 
No more denial, I have embraced the Ollie I've found myself to be.

 
I am completely secure in my insecure, needy-by-nature outlook on love.

 
But there's so much more to love than all that billowy marshmallow & hot cocoa stuff that I obviously embody.

 
Love, true & pure, doesn't always require an extra shot of insulin or additional miles on the elliptical.

 
Love.

 
See, we see love as being only about the emotionally charged passion of Lifetime movies.

 
And I think this may be the exact reason love is viewed as the icing-on-the cake to accessorize an otherwise bland ensemble, or a rarely noticed fringe benefit.

 
Our discussions are so often capped with afterthought phrases, which often hold no meaning but to appease our conscience.
Things like, "And yes, let us not forget the 'royal rule of love.'" (Said so often with the same cold sterility found on your dental hygenist’s plaque scraping utensil.)

 
But sometimes love is way, way beyond the limits of our emotions.   

Sometimes love is simply not about our emotions.

 
Love, the decision.

Love, the verb.

 
It is the hero in the story who steps into that darkness where the fluffy dare not venture.

 
Love, in the reality of its purity, is one tough son-of-a-gun!

 
Love is an act of our will, regardless of the feelings of our heart & mind.

 
Sometimes love is the toughest thing you'll ever do!

 
Sometimes love is fighting every urge and natural desire and doing that very thing we dread most.

 
Sometimes its, as I said, going into a place of overwhelming, putrid darkness because that's the place love is needed.

 
Sometimes love is forsaking justice so mercy can comfort and grace can prevail.

 
Sometimes love is calluses on hands, dirt under fingernails, dryness in mouths.

 
Sometimes love makes zones of comfort distant memories.

 
Sometimes love is a strength and intestinal fortitude whom Chuck Norris would humbly call you sir.

 
Where is the Teddy bear now?

 
Love.

 
An ancient man named John said it is the only way to theology in the true meaning of the word: God knowledge.

 
An incarcerated apostle named Paul said love pales faith and hope, and without it, even our martyrdom is useless.

 
A rabbi with a justifiable rebellion, named Jesus, said everything his people’s law and the teaching of their prophets were suspended on love. (He didn’t stop there…he said ridiculously radical things like love was his new and final word, it was the proof of a person who was learning from his life…)

 
There’s a time and place for the squishy, gushy love…and there’s a time and place for the backbone love.

 
Embrace them both.
ove.
 
(That's love with a period behind it for punctuation)

 
Love.

 
Love is one of those typically odd English language words whose sound and spelling are alike regardless of how you use it.

 
Love, the noun, looks and sounds just like love, the verb.

 
Some languages give you a distinction between the different parts of speech in word usage.

 
Not English, however.
(I guess we couldn't afford the extra letters or something.)

 
Love is love.

 
But...um, not really.

 
Love.

 
Just to exhale the word elicits a plethora of responses, thoughts, attitudes and emotions.

 
Some see carefully scored romantic scenes of roses, candles and lace.

 
Some see mad passion, released in impetuous abandon.

 
Some feel the excruciating pain of shattered emotions.

 
Some will begin to cry.

 
Some feel such a deep sense squishy fluffiness, they'd almost swear they were being digested by a Teddy bear.

 
Some: numb.

 
Love.

 
Love & Ollie.

 
People seem to love to talk about Ollie and love.

 
Some have transformed nouns to adjectives to describe me in such terms as Teddy bear or puppy. And I suppose this has something to do with how they view me, and my intimate relationship with a noun.

 
That noun?
Love.

 
And, I suppose that on my "What's Love All About" pie-chart, the biggest wedge of color would certainly be dedicated to the "Love is squishy" legend.

 
I'm just that kind of person.   

 
For me love is, in so many ways, about teary-eyed embraces, uplifting utterances and understanding glances.

 
I do hereby proclaim to be a squishy, gushy man of fluffy warmth.

 
Need a Teddy bear? I'm that guy.

 
Need a sad-eyed, loyal puppy? I'm on-call, pretty much 24/7.

 
No more denial, I have embraced the Ollie I've found myself to be.

 
I am completely secure in my insecure, needy-by-nature outlook on love.

 
But there's so much more to love than all that billowy marshmallow & hot cocoa stuff that I obviously embody.

 
Love, true & pure, doesn't always require an extra shot of insulin or additional miles on the elliptical.

 
Love.

 
See, we see love as being only about the emotionally charged passion of Lifetime movies.

 
And I think this may be the exact reason love is viewed as the icing-on-the cake to accessorize an otherwise bland ensemble, or a rarely noticed fringe benefit.

 
Our discussions are so often capped with afterthought phrases, which often hold no meaning but to appease our conscience.
Things like, "And yes, let us not forget the 'royal rule of love.'" (Said so often with the same cold sterility found on your dental hygenist’s plaque scraping utensil.)

 
But sometimes love is way, way beyond the limits of our emotions.   

Sometimes love is simply not about our emotions.

 
Love, the decision.

Love, the verb.

 
It is the hero in the story who steps into that darkness where the fluffy dare not venture.

 
Love, in the reality of its purity, is one tough son-of-a-gun!

 
Love is an act of our will, regardless of the feelings of our heart & mind.

 
Sometimes love is the toughest thing you'll ever do!

 
Sometimes love is fighting every urge and natural desire and doing that very thing we dread most.

 
Sometimes its, as I said, going into a place of overwhelming, putrid darkness because that's the place love is needed.

 
Sometimes love is forsaking justice so mercy can comfort and grace can prevail.

 
Sometimes love is calluses on hands, dirt under fingernails, dryness in mouths.

 
Sometimes love makes zones of comfort distant memories.

 
Sometimes love is a strength and intestinal fortitude whom Chuck Norris would humbly call you sir.

 
Where is the Teddy bear now?

 
Love.

 
An ancient man named John said it is the only way to theology in the true meaning of the word: God knowledge.

 
An incarcerated apostle named Paul said love pales faith and hope, and without it, even our martyrdom is useless.

 
A rabbi with a justifiable rebellion, named Jesus, said everything his people’s law and the teaching of their prophets were suspended on love. (He didn’t stop there…he said ridiculously radical things like love was his new and final word, it was the proof of a person who was learning from his life…)

 
There’s a time and place for the squishy, gushy love…and there’s a time and place for the backbone love.

 
Embrace them both.