She didn’t want to be doomed forever, but with her pessimistic view of relationships she might as well have been locked away in a tower. Any knight-in-shining armor brave enough to attempt a rescue with this princess deserved high recognition. But what was her spell? Why was she so unattainable to the others who have already yelled up to her, “let down your hair!?” The Answer: Her past, her expectations, and her mind that wanders to the bad before it even gives the good a chance.
I used to have this tragic way of viewing potential relationships. When I felt a spark with someone who I was majorly crushing on and found out that they felt the same way, I should have been clicking my heels and jumping for joy, but I usually ended up with mixed emotions. That might have just been the climax of my relationship stories right there, because once I am happily crushing and we are on to figuring out where to take it from there, I would freeze. My mind raced to the all of the things that could go wrong. Mostly, just the possibility of being left with a broken heart troubled me enough to hang out in this frozen position until he gave up and moved on.
Now I know I’m not the only one who has been under this curse. Usually those who freeze like I would have either had their heart broken or have seen loved ones’ relationships fail. But when we close off our hearts because of our closed off minds, we will miss out on all of the fun and possibilities that go along with taking a chance on something so young, free and wild.
I couldn’t help it, I swear this curse was passed down from my grandmother. A marriage proposal is supposed to be a memorable, personalized, and romantic gesture of your love, so when my grandfather decided to pop the question, of course he had to add a little of his own flair. “Will you put your shoes under my bed?” is how he asked my grandmother to marry him. Of course, my grandmother had that cursed mindset and instantly thought my grandfather was asking her for something else. Taking my shoes off? Putting them under HIS bed? Who does this guy think he is! Trying to get lucky or something? Thing is, my grandfather is one of the nice guys, a sweetheart, and ended up being her life-long knight-in-shining armor. That spell fogged up her sight of that in the moment though.
Despite everything that could come along with it, I want another first kiss. I want a dance, a hug, and arms to lay in when I sleep. But I am also ready to fight, to disagree, to cry, and to break-up and move on if necessary. I want to see all the good of now, deal with the bad if it comes, and learn from the ugly of the past. What I don’t want is to live by expectations anymore, I just want to live in the moment.
I found that new relationships are hard to come by, but if you do find one, don’t let them slip away because you’re afraid. Hold on to them. Test them out. Give them a run for their money. If nothing else, you’ll end up like “Pretty Woman,” three thousand dollars richer…okay, maybe not, but at least you had the company, the experience, the laughs and the undeniable love – even if it only lasts a week.