You Sure Your Love Will Last Forever And A Day?

Bought your Valentine cards yet? 

In their hit single, What About Love, Heart asked, “Don't you want someone to care about you? What about love? Don't let it slip away.” Sam and I wonder if you’ve ever let love slip away. Almost everybody has at sometime in his or her life.

Of course that raises the question, what was or has been the greatest love of your life? It seems like the majority of our popular songs - especially country/western songs - lament the loss of love. You know, “I treated my baby bad, now she won’t take me back, what am I gonna’do?” Sound familiar?

My daughter would say, “Get over yourself,” and Sam and I like her practical advice on the subject. Still, we wonder what your greatest love was or has been. I don’t think Sam’s ever been in love because he’s been - you know - fixed. But I’ve never been fixed and I have suffered mightily for love.

I used to be a hopeless romantic. I loved the idea of meeting that special someone, falling in love and living happily ever after. But I found out the hard way that happily ever after seldom ever happens. Now, when our songs and books and movies try to sell me on romantic love I no longer buy in. I remember my mother saying to me when I had money (love) burning a hole in my pocket (heart). “You might not want to buy the first thing that comes along? Maybe you should shop around a little, make sure you’re getting what you want.”

Sure mom! Trouble is, love is such a crap shoot - and I do mean crap. But I’m not bitter. Who me? Just because my attitude now is, “love sucks.” But I’m only talking about the romantic kind of love our society tries to sell us. Boy talk about your identity theft. Romantic love can (will!) turn you into a total fool, somebody you wouldn’t recognize if you didn’t already know you were you.

What about love? What about Camelot?

Why do we become so hooked on a person that we never totally get over him or her, no matter how many years go by, no matter how hurtful our relationship was. Why is it when that certain person just walks on by we suffer pain worse than the torture any bad guy can dream up? You’d think you would get over hurting at some point in life, but no, that never seems to happen.

Some people subscribe to the theory that there is only one right person for each of us in this universe. We all have this soul mate that is supposed to be our one and only forever and ever. But so often something goes wrong and then you have forever heartache. Like the saying goes: “Kissin’ don’t last, cookin’ do.”

Do you remember the moment you first realized you were in love? I do. It hit me one summer as I sat at the top of a Ferris wheel at the county fair. Fortunately, I fell in love again the day I met Kathleen at a Fourth of July picnic. And, of course, I fell in love with Sam the first time I saw him. Excuse me now I gotta’ run out and buy some Valentine cards - you know, just in case.