Hello wonderfully healthy people!! Congratulations on making it to Summer 2015 may it be as wonderful as summers' past. Finals Week hit this girl hard, in the face, with a pan. I had only three finals, yet I managed to still make it seem harder than it should have been. I studied my booty off, and the last thing on my mind was my lovely readers missing my lovely voice. Well I'm back again so let's get to it.
There's many ideas I had for my newest post. I jumped from multiple subjects. Finals preparations, but even thinking about finals again makes me want to emotionally break down again, so we will steer clear of that dark moment in time at the moment. I also though about a packing guide for incoming Freshman because God knows I didn't pack how I should have, and I thought I at least did a good job of preparing. But then I start thinking of having to pack up all my stuff AGAIN to move back to Lawrence this Thursday and I get exhausted thinking of all the bags I have yet to fill. So that's off the table. I also shot around the idea of looking back on my first year of college, but folks, I believe that post will have to wait until I'm situated back in Lawrence when my life has settled down, just a little, and I have time to think back to that wonderful time.
So I decided to settle on something a little sentimental. I like to believe myself to be a romantic, I want to find the love of my life and grow old and senile together. But there is another part of me that assumes I'm going to end up bitter and alone, with a few dozen cats around the house because I am always so callous to others. Yes people I am only 19, and like most 19 year olds, we think we already know everything when it comes to relationships. For me? I thought I had found THE ONE in high school, and THAT was wrong. Yes, one in a million chance you might end up with your high school sweet heart, but that's very rare and usually doesn't have a happy ending. But I have hope for everyone.
Since the ending of senior year, I had given up on the male species. I'll be independent. Girl power. Single and ready to mingle. Single as a Pringel. Take your pick. But after awhile, you do start to get lonely, especially when most of your girl friends start to get boyfriends..... then it all just starts to go down hill. I've thought from time to time that love is a joke and it isn't real, we just pretend. Everyone lies and cheats and no relationship is worth it. And there is also the daunting fact that one of you will die before the other, and living without your soul mate is something I can't even fathom. But yet I say, I have hope for you all.
The other day I was working at S&S and an old couple came in to look at shoes and sole inserts for the lady of the house. They cleverly avoided the subject of age. But as I nonchalantly moved around the couple as they were being helped, I eavesdropped. I know, I'm terrible, but I'm so glad I did.
The man was a pastor for a town near by and from just the time there, I could tell he was very protective of his wife. She had foot problems and was very frail. After many furtive glances between them, my heart warmed at the sight. The way his eyes followed every movement she made to make sure she didn't slip up or fall. They kept glancing back and forth not saying anything, but you could tell they didn't need to. They were told that insurance wouldn't cover what she needed. The husband spoke up in a very determined and loud voice that it did not matter and that they would buy them anyway. They then proceeded to pick what kind of shoe. Not long after, she was stuck on a color. She asked him about the color brown. He looked at her and in all seriousness said, "You can get pink ones I don't care as long as your happy." This made me smile. Bickering and bantering never fades and the love he had for her held in that sentence. The underlying meaning being that he would buy her anything, no matter how ridiculous, as long as she was happy. How lovely is that?
But it gets better folks.
They began to gather their things and the husband picked up the bag with her old shoes in them. The man helping them said something along the lines of the husband being the bag carrier today. They both laughed and he said he wouldn't have it any other way.
Don't start crying, because I almost did when this happened.
"We're having our 60th wedding anniversary in September," the husband said. The helper looked at them both with wide eyes and asked how old they were when they got married.
"Well, she was 15 going on 16 but acted like she was 25. I was 20. Now most people these days would NEVER get married at that age but we knew." He then turned to me and asked me how old I was. I answered with, "19."
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"No, not anymore, haven't for awhile."
"Don't you dare rush it little girl. Love isn't easy. You have people getting divorces everyday, but I would never divorce my wife. Marriage is a serious thing and you have to work at it. I'm not saying it's gunna be easy at all. Its damn hard sometimes, but it is worth it at the end of the day to fight for your love. But don't give up hope. He's out there. You just gotta be patient."
My mouth dropped open and I had to turn away because I nearly started to cry. This man, not knowing, had just changed me in a way. Helped me see that there is love out there, it's just that I am not ready yet. He gave me hope again. Something as little as sharing a story from your life with a stranger could have an impact of them in some way without you knowing. I'm sure he didn't know how hard of a time I had been having and without knowing, had helped brighten my day to where it was easier to bear the burden of being alone for awhile longer, just as long as I knew that he was out there somewhere.
I hope this old couple helped you a little on your day. They certainly brightened my day. Just remember, if you truly do love them, fight for them. It's not easy. God never meant for anything to be easy. If you really want to be with them, then act like it.
