The Beginning of Something Beautiful
Hey…sorry, I didn’t hear you knock. Come on in. How you doing today? You look a little tired. Why don’t you take off that wet coat and come into the living room. Just leave that umbrella out there, don’t worry about it. Maid’s night off, ha ha. Gosh, it must have really been coming down, huh?
Here you go, most comfortable seat in the house. Isn’t it great the way you just sink into it like that? It’s almost as if the chair was waiting for you all day long to just come along and plop down into it. Ooh, can you hear that? The water’s ready. Let me get you some of that tea you like. Don’t worry about the time—there’s no rush here. Just relax. Yeah, that’s right. Now take off those shoes, and when I come back I’ll give you one of my famous foot massages…
I can see you found the chocolates. Those look wonderful. Oh no, I don’t mind. I’m actually allergic to chocolate, believe it or not. Just one of those family things, I guess. My boss gave me those for Christmas and they’ve just been sitting there since then, so please, help yourself. Here, put your feet up on the ottoman. Nice socks! Oh, those are cute. Where’d you get them? You know, I have to tell you a little secret—I’ve always been secretly jealous of your fashion sense. Yes! I don’t know, it’s like you just have a certain sense of style that is so…you. You know how sometimes you look at someone and you see that they really put some thought into planning an outfit, but it just comes off looking forced? Ha, ha…yeah but with you, it’s effortless.
Now let me see those feet. There we go. Yeah. Mmm. How does that feel? I can tell you have a lot of tension in your life right now. You can tell so much about a person by touching their feet, actually. Don’t laugh—I’m being serious! Oh sorry, I didn’t know you were ticklish there, ha ha. Yeah, just let it all go. Feel the deep relaxation washing over your whole body, from the toes, up... That feels good, doesn’t it?
Have you ever found yourself completely fascinated by someone? Maybe you were just sitting there, looking at him, all his attention was directed toward you, and the sound of his voice just captivated you and wrapped all around you, so that the environment just disappeared and your entire world became what was right in front of you. It’s funny, because sometimes the warmth of someone’s voice can just spread throughout your whole body, and you can’t help but think about that person in a…mmm, special way, you know?I was just talking to my friend Marisa the other day—I don’t think you’ve met her—but anyway, we were just discussing the difference between attraction and love. It’s weird because when you think about it, at first, they feel quite similar, but they actually happen in different places. What I mean is, attraction happens when you are in the presence of the person. You’re sitting there, maybe just relaxing or having a drink, and you start to think to yourself…hmmm. Soon enough, you begin to realize that you have particular feelings for them. You know what that feels like, right?
But love, that happens when you’re not with the person at all. I’m sure you can remember the last time you fell in love with someone…that feeling of love. Here’s how it happened: You spent some time with someone, and then when you went home, you started to picture in your mind what it would be like to be with them. Maybe you started to imagine different situations with that person, having fun with then, being romantic or whatever... You can remember that, right? Then you might start listing in your head all the qualities you love about them: oh, he’s so funny, or he’s so cute, or he knows exactly how to make me feel comfortable, or whatever they were. And then little by little, you start to have a funny sort of feeling, starting from deep in your stomach. It’s like a little glowing plant, and as that glow begins to spread all throughout your body, you begin to realize that you really, really love this person. That’s a magical feeling. Sometimes it takes months to happen, but when it happens instantly, you know it right away—and that’s an incredibly powerful sensation, isn’t it?
Would you like some more tea? I have some brandy in the cabinet if you prefer…no, no, it’s no trouble at all. Really. Gosh, I can’t believe how the time is just slipping by. I always feel so comfortable and at ease when I’m around you. I don’t know how you do it, but I feel like I could tell you anything.
I know we really haven’t known each other for so long, but I want to tell you—I always thought there was something really special between us. I mean, can I be completely honest with you? I know this is going to sound a little crazy, but I used to have a crush on you. Nothing obsessive or anything, just a little crush. I realize now, looking back, that it wasn’t really love, but I used to find myself sometimes at work daydreaming about us having so much fun together…maybe taking walks through the park, watching the sunset, or going away for weekends to the beach, relaxing, enjoying each others company…I used to look forward to the idea of us growing closer and supporting each other, kind of helping each other through the years, making our dreams come true…Ha, yeah I know it sounds silly, but is it really so hard to imagine that someone would want to be in a relationship with a person as beautiful and intelligent as you? It’s kind of funny looking back at the whole thing, and I guess it was a little immature for me to imagine things could be like that.
Have you ever hung out with someone that maybe you weren’t very attracted to before, but then, for one reason or another, you suddenly started to see them in a whole new way? That kind of thing has happened to me a couple times, and I could never really put my finger on what the trigger was. I think what it comes down to, though, is that sometimes people don’t really know what they want. You go through life thinking you know how to make yourself happy, but the truth is, you don’t. You chase down your desires for people and things, but once you have them, the satisfaction is always short lived, and before you know it, you want something or someone else. But once in a while, a person comes along and really makes you stop and think. They say a certain word or make a certain gesture, and you suddenly start seeing them completely differently. For example, my friend Debbie came up to me the other day and said, “what would it be like if we were just making out, and I was kissing you tenderly, exactly as you like to be kissed, touching you exactly as you like to be touched?” I was like, “what are you talking about?” And she just said, “It’s not necessary to feel incredibly turned on as the passion between us builds and builds, until you feel like you might not even be able to contain yourself anymore.”
Can you imagine how that made me feel?
