The Strangest of Father's Days

     (I want to preface this posting. This is a writing of mine I expected to keep to myself. It was written the evening of Father's Day, 2010. At the time, I was single and not necessarily looking for someone to come into my life. I've lived a life never shying away from things that may make others uncomfortable, but, COME ON, these are my parents we're talking about here! Have any of you had a similar experience? I want need to hear about it.)

     In the scheme of chaotic things that make up my life, I need a constant that grounds me; something to keep things in a certain perspective.  For my entire adult life, this stabilizing force has been my parents.

     For those who don’t know my parents, my Dad is a man’s man. Blue collar to the core and devoted to Mom. He’s never cheated, he’s never raised a hand and he’s never called her a bad name. All this yet he still frustrates her to no end. The only reason she never left him is because he is one of those men that swoops in and unknowingly does an absolutely perfect romantic gesture that buys him more time. 

     

     My Mom on the other hand is hard core German. Rough but fair. She doesn’t put up with much and I’ve never met anyone stupid enough to challenge the 300 pound personality she carries in her 80 pound frame.

     

     They are proof; opposites attract.

     

     At this point there is a little more background that is needed before I can proceed.  You don’t need the details, so I’ll spare you, but here are the highlights. 

Daniel and Sylvia (Part 3)

     Sylvia stood in the doorway of the bathroom inspecting the figure on the bed. The light filtering through the window gave his body an angelic quality. He had obviously reached for her after she slipped from the bed to use the bathroom, grabbing his shirt from the night before to wear. There was no need for modesty with Daniel; she wore his shirt to keep him close to her.

     She watched as he stirred, unconsciously sliding his hand over her side of the bed, still looking for her. The sheets were in tangles below his waist, revealing the upper part of his legs and butt.  Her eyes traced the muscles her fingers had navigated only a few hours ago.

     She had seen him naked many times before yet still couldn’t keep her body from reacting. She loved the thick waves of hair her fingers gravitated to every time they kissed. There were touches of gray peeking out and she teased him about it last night. His eyes, so at peace when he slept, sparked fires in her stomach when he caught her glance during the daylight hours. She swore he could see inside her, deep into the places she never allowed another to go.

What exactly is Romance?

     I posed this question the other day and was surprised by the stuttering and stammering which came back at me. While everyone seemed to have their idea of what a romantic gesture is, no one could pin down what Romance really means.

     Everyone wants their partner to be romantic on some level. Responses of romantic gestures people wanted from their partners included things as simple as opening a door for them to as complex as planning a romantic vacation and surprising them with it.  Coming up with things they wanted romantically was not a problem, getting them to answer why they wanted those things was a bit tougher. 

     It seems everyone claims to be a "hopeless romantic" but they are not sure why. Even I like to be on the receiving end of a romantic gesture. It may seem a little odd that a man actually wants to be romanced from time to time but it's true. It was during a moment of receiving such a gesture that I asked myself why it was so important to me.

"Soul-Needle"

6,873,800,306.

     At last count, that is how many people we have weaving through this haystack called earth.  If we subtract out the ones not living in the USA, we can cut the number down to 310,435,839.  Of course no matter our sexual preference, we’re only interested in one half of the population so let’s cut that in half to just over 155,000,000.  This is the pile of hay we are left with in which to find our “soul-needle.”

     Why "soul-needle"? Because it IS like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Let's admit it... finding the one we are meant to be with is no easy task. We've all felt rather silly looking back on a past relationship, remembering the time we thought: they are the one.

     I’ve lived many years looking for my elusive “Soul-Needle”. I've had everything from childhood crushes which escalated into Puppy-Love to a 15 year marriage which ended in divorce. I’ve dated, rebounded, and bounced a couple of times before finally landing at the feet of the woman I know is not just the person I am going to spend the rest of my life with, but is the reason I have one…my Soul-Needle.