Woody knows best
As a writer you are often influenced by the most random of thoughts and observations. Last week I was watching the Justin Timberlake-Mila Kunis movie ‘Friends with Benefits’. A pleasant enough film, enhanced massively by a brilliant turn from Woody Harrelson. His character says this at one point in the movie: “It’s not who you want to spend Friday night with, its about who you want to spend all day Saturday with.” I thought that pretty much sums up a relationship, we spend the most time with the person we want to spend the most time with.
A letter from Fred
Yesterday I saw the video “A letter from Fred”. Fred is Fred Stobaugh, a 96 year old man who was married to his wife, Lorraine, for 73 years and they were together for 75 years. She had died very recently and Fred felt compelled to write a song about her called ‘Sweet Lorraine’. The video and the song were extremely touching and fulfilled Woody Harrelson’s thoughts about staying with someone all day Saturday and many more days besides. This is the essence of love and shows its importance in life. It’s not about the money (although that helps), its not about success (although we all want it) and although health is also vital it is love that stirs our soul. That makes us look forward to the day, that makes us alive.
An atomic explosion
Being in love is about being touched by all six senses. The way you look at each other. Your fingers and hands that explore. The taste of every part of each other. How you listen to their voice – the music that thrills your soul. The perfume that fills your nostrils and attaches itself to your heart and finally the thoughts that fill your head. The more you think of them, the more your body tingles with anticipation, lust, love and longing. Have you ever seen the way an atomic explosion happens? The particles come together, creating energy, but it can’t escape and so it vibrates together, gaining momentum, building speed. The particles knock against each other as if on a giant cat’s cradle, but in an IMAX experience. Just as you think you can’t take it anymore you kiss or touch or literally explode and your brain is mush. Nothing else matters in those moments, all you think of is each other. All you see is each other. All you want is each other. If you were like this every day you would never get anything done and yet without this your life cannot go on. You cannot build a life together without this feeling at the start.
The greatest feeling of all
When life gets in the way you must let love shine through. Without passion there is no life; without excitement all is dull and cold, without love there is nothing at all. Your dog may love you, your children will love you, but the passion you hold in your heart for another person will enable you to conquer mountains, ride storms, ignore pain and keep going in life when everything seems against you. The look, the kiss, the touch, all come together to help your life reach and soar in a way it never did without it. If you have it cherish it, if you want it search for it (and never settle), if you lose it then you have been most careless indeed. Love is like time – to be used wisely, not wasted on petty arguments, it is more precious than gold, more wonderful than any sunset; it will fill your heart with pride and your soul with courage. Hold it in both hands and do everything you can to keep it, love her with all your heart, tell her she is beautiful, make her safe, hold her tight, buy her flowers, find her songs, make her soul sing and from two voices you will find a choir. Love is the greatest feeling of all; money can’t buy it, you can’t fake it; all you can do is experience and be lost in its joy.
Andy Gibney 