I don't smoke, not ever. But sometimes, my friend says to me, "Ben. Are you high? That's something a high person would say." And right now, I have one of those statements for you. Brace yourself.
Think about this -
Every road in America is connected. Once that thought enters your mind, you realize that it's not absurd. Of course they are all connected. It sometimes just blows my mind to think that from Pronghorn Ranch, Prescott Valley, AZ., I can get to any street in our country. I can go from my house to Harrison Avenue, Foxcroft, Maine (credit to Google Maps for this illustration, thanks.).
Sometimes, the bleak realization hits me that sadly, romance is this way too. Everything and everyone is connected. You can't skip steps, or cross the field. You have to stick to the roads to get to your destrination.
No longer is there spontaneity in blossoming relationships. No longer can you introduce yourself, but rather, someone else does the introduction for you. You have to stick to the road. I long for a world similar to any sitcom, where you can be attracted to the girl at the coffee shop, the bookstore, the bakery, or the theater, and have it be socially acceptable.
In this fictional world, it would be alright for you to constantly spend unrealistic amounts of money on mundane things such as over-doses of caffeine, cupcakes, books, movies, etc. In order for an opportunity to talk to her.
Sadly, How I Met Your Mother is wrong. I'm reminiscing about an episode where Marshall, Ted, and Barney try going to a coffee shop where Marshall has been flirting with the barista. Watch the clip.
This doesn't happen! But in all fairness, it should. Baristas - put hearts next to names on the coffee cups. Girls in the bakery - give free cookies. Girls in the bookstore - recommend a book. Girls in the concessions stand at movie theaters - forget to charge me for me refill (arguably, the lamest of my examples so far).
We notice. I notice. It makes it a little bit easier, and inspires some form of confidence to traverse into the world of the unknown, the world of talking to girls that you've never met before. Shed the notion of creepers.
My hope is that this post becomes viral. My hope is that they all become viral, but this one especially. People need to understand that it's alright for a stranger to introduce themselves to you. It's alright. Let's trust the sitcoms.
Speaking from a personal perspective; I met my fiance at random. It was random happenstance that she spoke to me in class and that I asked her out on a date. Yes, I had help initiating certain factors but the spurring forward was always between us. It does happen, you got to have the guts to do it.
ReplyDeleteBut, this also means you can't sit there and pine for the rom-com life. That will never happen because it is completely unrealistic--it's an ideal. We are flawed, we aren't perfect, we screw up and unintentionally hurt others without knowing why and, conversely, we also do things that blow others' minds because of what we've done. I say these things not to be a downer but to say that aspects of the romantic comedy or the sitcom can happen. It's that they should be done, though, for the person who truly deserves it in your life--on the right person or that mystical "the one." If you use your bag of tricks on everyone than when you find "the one" and that person asks about the past things you've done, and being honest you tell the truth, that person will no longer feel special. They are no longer unique. You might see them as embodiment of all you could ask for but, because you're doing the same old dog and pony show, they're seeing themselves as just another notch on the belt. You either have to, at this point, consider not wasting everything you have for everyone, or you have to go so far above and beyond what you've done before that it might even break you. But that's for another time.
Also, from experience, if the person you hear calling people a creeper uses it on those that aren't being remotely creepy, they are scared of life. Seeing the same guy in any of those examples is only creepy if the guy is being creepy (eg. staring at the person from across the room, breathing heavily; saying off-putting things when he purchases that book or coffee)
Well, that's a lot, but you're posts also generate an idea for response. I only regret that I can't tell you in person (a day trip to Prescott is out of the question what with school and gas prices). I digress, I'll cut it off here and go to class now. It'll be good for me to stop spouting my view point (keyword there) and "learn" something.
And man did I have some typos there. Curse you speed writing! Curse you!
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