Translate

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

First Love


"No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?"
-- Albert Einstein

Do you remember your first love?  For me, that would be the "older" woman at my fourth birthday party; a ravishing beauty for her advanced age of five or six.  Anyone could see I was playing the seemingly disinterested younger man and, yes, it did not work out as I planned.  I'm not sure if the various modifications to my "game" ever work out as planned, even though I continued to polish my technique for the next fifty odd years.

Maybe if I had just grabbed her young face in both hands, looked deeply into her innocent eyes, and planted a big wet one right on her lips?  The young Sicilian kid and his older, white bread, sugar mama.  One could almost feel the "pant down" spanking for just considering such a gutsy plan.  Dad would have been silently proud behind the admonitions and mom would have been mortified.  Hey, boys will be boys, especially at the age of four.  Holding my fourth birthday candle in my hands I looked to be considering if it would fit up the young ladies nose before she could scream foul.  I was probably also considering the consequences of trying to do it - the ever feared "pant down" spanking, always lurking in the shadows.  Needless to say, I would become better acquainted with spankings life had to offer than I would with a good looking woman.  But, at the age of four, who knew you could have both?  Who cared?

Truth be known, I would find out this little lady wasn't my type.  Age was obviously not a factor.  I would enter grade school more attracted to auburn hair, freckles, and braces.  Braces?  Yeah, who would've thought?  To find all three was, for me, the Holy Grail.  Unlike the legendary Grail, though, my quest was almost fulfilled.  I found her at the ripe old age of nine, in fourth grade, her name was Susan.  And, unfortunately, fate would rear ugly the next year, and Catholic School would put any thought of girls out of my mind and bring, instead, a waddle of giant penguins to the forefront of my reality.

Infatuation with hair color, mouth gear, and those beautiful clusters of concentrated melanized cells known as freckles, would fade with the discovery of legs, miniskirts, breasts and the associated cleavage, as I approached ninth grade and high school.

Now, at sixty-five, I still find women with auburn hair very attractive.  As for women with freckles and braces, these seem to have morphed into less appealing age spots, retainers, a removable bridge or false teeth.  Thank goodness I never had a romantic evening with a woman who whipped out her false teeth on me.  I can imagine screaming like a little girl, horrified at the thought of what body part she might remove next.  Is it any wonder people suffer from certain dysfunctions later in life?

I was never a frivolous lover.  No "love them and leave them" attitude.  No "woman in every port." I can truthfully say that, while traveling the path of life, I have loved and cared about every woman I have had the privilege to know, save one. I met her at a party, shortly after arriving at my first assignment in the Air Force.  I threw caution to the wind for one evening of meaningless "frivolity" with a young lady who would remind me of remind me of what I already knew.  She reminded me, in her own "Marchioness de Sade" way, that a woman's feelings and emotions should come well before my own.  It was a lesson I remember to this day.  Needless to say, this was a one night stand in a trailer park which, for many, explains everything.  But, I remember her as I remember others - fondly.

I married way too young, for her and for me, and as painful as the twenty years of marriage were, I still manage to care about her as the mother of my two children.  I opted not to be a glutton for any more matrimonial punishment and only married the one time.

Whether it is your first love, your latest, or your last,  every woman you're with deserves to know you care about her.  Your love for each of them may differ, but it's love none the less.  There is nothing trivial about someone's emotions.  You should never take them lightly.  They are important, and often times fragile.  Treat everyone with the same love and respect you would have them treat you, even those you love and leave.  This has to do with burning perfectly good bridges behind you.  A retreat is always an option and you might find need of that shoulder you've loved to cry on one day.
"A man is lucky if he is the first love of a woman. A woman is lucky if she is the last love of a man."
-- Charles Dickens


Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.
Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.

No comments:

Post a Comment

You may find it easier to choose "anonymous" when leaving a comment, then adding your contact info or name to the end of the comment.
Thank you for visiting "The Path" and I hope you will consider following the Congregation for Religious Tolerance while on your own path.