Past Teen-Age Loves

They met outdoors, where the sun shines and trees blossom in the spring 

huge in the park unhindered by man. It was a sweet relationship that didn’t’ last

all that long but had its moments of bliss, moments sealed with a kiss and a few tiffs.  There even was a special time sharing hopes and dreams on the telephone, just two young high school kids in love, in love with being in love.

The funny thing about being young is you see what you want to see.  You talk about things teens talk about, looking at the world through the eyes of youth and innocence.  This is part of the beauty of youth, the imaginary mind of seeing all things possible, of believing in fairy tale endings. 

We grow up and meet some of those past love interests that slipped through the grasps of our fingertips in the past.  And as adults, through the trials and tribulations of experiences, we have matured and changed, some of us anyways. Our value systems may have changed. Some people, no doubt, change more than others, some develop more character, fine tune their value systems and become more compassionate.  Adults we knew as children can become catalysts for change in our world; champions for causes for helping fellow human beings have opportunities to advance their lives so that there is no semblance of a caste system anywhere. Some adults are content just existing, enjoying moment by moment. The range of ways we approach our lives is as diverse as people are unique. But what we evolved into is quite often not what any of us envisioned as teens.

Thus teen love interests were usually not meant to last. Connecting with these old love interests can be precious and can be disheartening. Waking up to the realities that, when you were young and innocent, you were like so many youth today, only seeing people through the eyes of idealism and not realism is a hard fact to face. You were human!  You were fallible to wanting to believe something that was not true. Age truly does sharpen your intuition and make you a better judge of character and what matters to you and yes, to those other potential long ago ‘love interests.”  Seeing that those people you thought were so wonderful are on quite different paths of how they define happiness from you and right and wrong is important so you do not live with regret.    The kid that was arrogant may still be or not be at all. The one that seemed insecure may have grown into a man quite full of himself. The girl that was the prettiest may now be someone who is focused on more important things.  Seeing these changes can impact us in positive ways.

Someone told me awhile back that I saw them through youthful eyes still. Looking back, they were right; I see them through idealist eyes, the way I wanted to see them, not for who they are.  I thought they had changed, maybe they had or maybe they were that way all along and my innocence never picked up the signs.  I wanted my value system today to be theirs so that a bond would still exist and we could be friends. When the morality and character are so vastly different, the odds of having a friendship dissipate.   Relationships don’t work that way. People are meant to move in and out of your life, not everyone can stay.  Learn what you can about past relationships and how you viewed those people as a youth but let go of those innocent eyes, of looking at past lovers through dream-struck visions because the reality is they are flawed individuals too. Their paths may have been meant to cross over yours again but may not be meant to stay.

And They Danced Their Final Dance

They were young and in love, or so it seemed because their smiles were like sunshine beams. It was if their whole life they had waited to simply get to this point, this one spot in the universe to find each other. As they gazed in each other’s eyes, they were like two crossed eye teen age lovers, so be smitten they lost track of everyone else in the room.  Young love at the final pass.

So many tender years and many of shed tears. Mountains both of these had crossed without each other. But God had brought them together, to find a love that was pure, simple and unconditional at a time in life when many simply wait to die.   These two were making new rules, making the rest of us look like fools.  They were taking love and life to new heights, embracing each other with all their might.

As everyone in the room watched, they circled around the dance floor locking eyes with

abandonment. Their bodies were swaying to the music, oblivious to the crowd who was mesmerized by the display of unbridled love on the floor of these two young old souls.  They clasped hands, smiled as their faces lit up with passion, friendship and love. Laughter rang out, peals of it though out the dance hall, making everyone else unable to contain themselves, laughing in direct proportion to their laughter.   They looked around as if surprised anyone else was in the room, smiling at others in the crowd of people but not bothered in the least that anyone see their obvious affection for the other. Public displays of affection were their reward for a life well lived, for finding their perfect mate, for knowing life is too short to stand on formality.  Many began thinking with wonder how to unleash that kind of passion, abandon stringent principles that hold us back. They whispered, “There is magic between those two!” 

The music transitioned to a soft ballad and as it did the embrace between them changed. 

The old man looked at his lady with sheer love in his eyes and put his arms around her waist to pull her inwards.  She smiled and teared up laying her arms upon his shoulders as she gently kissed his cheek. You would have thought he won the lotto with the peck he received.   They began to rock to and fro as if time stood still and it was only those two in the world.  Perhaps it was as we were all barely breathing taking it all in. How could you not be captivated watching what almost looked like such selfishly love?

Tonight, as I learned that Don is with hospice. I shall forever treasure the days I was blessed to see him dancing with his beloved Margaret. If ever a love so pure is on display, such as theirs, for you, be sure to simply be still. Watch it, closely and praise God for letting you be there, caught up in that special moment!