Friday, January 19, 2007

Everything

This week has flown by! I am not complaining. Weekends are always good. Other than attending a graduation party for one of my nieces, I have a totally free weekend. It seems like it has been a long time since I had a weekend where I could just chill out and do what I want to do. Maybe I will have breakfast on Saturday at a local bagel shop and take in a movie. I am way behind in seeing all the films I would like to see.

Yesterday I visited a training class where I work to introduce myself and to answer questions. I received the usual questions and I believe I was able to answer them to their satisfaction. The question that caught me off guard was from the trainer. She asked "Are you still a poet"? Poet? Was I ever a poet? Well, I have written some poetry and this trainer has some poems that I wrote years ago. I really haven't kept up with writing poetry since I now prefer the kind of writing I do in these daily thoughts.

My wife and I are in our mid fifties. It is a time of life where we are not on the same page about the actual room temperature in our home. I am always cold and she is always hot. 70 degrees for me is 90 degrees for her. In her world it is always summer. Sleeping in our bedroom is like camping out. The window is open and the ceiling fan is about to shoot off into space because it is twirling so fast. She is covered with a sheet and I have my electric blanket on high. I jokingly tell friends and family that I wear a hat and gloves to bed. I am actually thinking about going to a sporting goods store and buying one of those bright orange pup tents that mountain climbers use when they camp out on the side of a mountain during raging snow storms. I think they make them small enough to fit on my side of the bed. Maybe I will also spring for one of those small kerosene heaters.

Yesterday a co-worker sent me the following article. When you get to the end, you will understand why.

I Thought I Was Too Old to Fall in Love Again by Jack D. Minzey

I never believed in love at first sight until, most unexpectedly and bewilderingly, it happened to me. From the moment I first saw her, it was as though her eyes entered my heart and pierced clear through my soul. What else could it be but love? She should have known that I was a happily married, contentedly middle-aged man. But she was beautiful and, oh, how she knew it - and she used that beauty to overwhelm me. I tried to ignore the feelings she stirred in me, but with each day that passed, I knew I was becoming a captive to her charm. I was under her spell completely. She has so many enchanting moods: She was happy, sad, sweet, cute, pouty, serious, funny, and flirtatious. Each mood followed the other in dizzying succession. And each was effective - helplessly I reacted to each in exactly the manner she expected. I tried to appear blase about our relationship; however, that was clearly a facade, and my friends saw through it instantly. Even my wife became aware of the new object of my affections. Surprisingly, she was more tolerant about what was happening than I would have expected. She even seemed to share my excitement over this new woman in my life. This, I might add, immediately gave our marriage a whole new dimension. Where will it all lead? It's hard to say. I thought the thrill of this new relationship would be soon gone. And yet, a year has passed since she first entered my life, and I am still helplessly smitten. Each time I see her she is more bewitching, and each time she finds a new way to claim my heart. It used to be just a shy glance or a gesture. Now she is bolder and offers me a touch with her little hand, a hug, an occasional kiss on the cheek. I would gladly giver her the world at such moments. I guess it's possible that our relationship is just a figment of my imagination, as she has never spoken to me of love. And yet, when I look at that pretty, dimpled face, when I gaze into her shining eyes, I know in my heart that she is thinking "I love you, Grandpa."

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