Light up

by

It's Valentines day. My day was unexpectedly full of good things. Starting with the IT guy in my office giving me chocolate. Pleasing result considering I thought he'd been staring at my chest all week. He probably has, if I had standards I wouldn't have eaten it but I don't.

This was followed by one of those conversations that leaves your stomach doing somersaults with a certain man who has my heart like melted butter in a croissant; deeply layered and bad for you. But oh so good. French butter. The kind Julia stiles could only dream of.

The day dragged on & I began to daydream about things that may never happen. The bad things & all the worries of the tomorrows that may or may not ever come to pass. The way you do at 3pm after your third green tea of the day and a full inbox. This was until I was pulled up by my ears by my best friend who is freezing her tits off in the bowels of England teaching wretches for pennies. She basically slapped me about with reality for a while thank god. We all need someone who is willing to tell us what we need to hear & not always just what we want to hear. Only true friends have the balls to tell it to you straight.
Follow this by a very emotional youtube video of US Marines surprising their loved ones and I'm feeling suitably positive and appreciative of life.

That is until I have thwacked my way through several dozen walking rose bushes, pushed past the women dragging boxes wider than themselves & just generally hissed & spat my way down most of Elizabeth street where I get to salsa and we decide to warm things up a little with a glass of bubbly.
Definitely a good idea as there were more couples on bad first dates than ever before.

Fast forward a few trodden toes, my bruised ego & we are back at the pub.
Conversation ensues & it turns out everyone is keen on this. We all want to get it right. I want to get over myself and 'let it go' the irony being all too obvious I know. The guys want to get the steps down & lead & the women just want to be lead.

We are all looking for a partner with whom it will all just click. Did you see what I did there? Yet another relationship metaphor. But it is the truth. Come right down to it & every individual wants to get it just right with the right partner.

Its just you have to let go of all the other crap first.

And it's not until I sit on the tram home, noticing the scuffs on her heels, that he hasn't ironed his shirt, that her skirt is too short & she's conscious about it, he's got a rip in his jeans & she looks a little sunburnt, but that they all look happy. That I remember, that life & love for that matter are not about perfection.

It is not about getting it right. It is about the scuffs and the creases. The rips & the burns.
It's about making all the mistakes with someone willing to make them with you.