Viens Donc Me Rechauffer

How do you like the new photo on my blog? Look past the somewhat grody spill on the concrete beneath the bench, and you'll find the phrase "viens, donc, me rechauffer" written on the seat. I saw this bench on a street in Paris and was immediately drawn to it. In French, the statement means "come, then, and warm me up." What an inviting message! That is why you must overlook some other unsavory parts of the photo. Maybe I'll photoshop those out one day, but I feel that they add character and grit to the shot. :) Here's an interesting question: when you visualize someone actually sitting on that bench to "warm" it, what does that person look like? Man or woman? What type of clothes are they wearing? Young or old?

Anyways, I've grown quite fond of my little message scrawled on a bench somewhere in Paris...maybe one day I'll revisit that bench, and provide some warmth for it on a chilled evening.

On to another subject...that of love, because yesterday was the day to express that emotion, if one should choose to take up the task, right? Someone told me a few weeks back, jokingly, of course, that people should only celebrate Eros on the fourteenth day of February, and not any other type of love. Now, this will not be a shock to anyone, but I've never experienced Eros before. Yes, I've been "in LIKE," or maybe "in-FATUATED," but never "in LOVE," er... in Eros. It's the blatant truth, and yes, it does sting a bit now and again. Eros, however, is not something I've given up on, and I'm determined that one day I will feel it towards a good man, and that man will feel it towards me, and we'll get marrified and join our lives together. Done and done.

That being said, I think that Valentines Day is the perfect day to express other types of love, ESPECIALLY for those of us who do not have a honey-pooh to shower with gifts, compliments, and attention. Why should we be left out of the love-showering, even if it isn't through affectionate terms of endearment, high-quality confections, and bouquets of fiery red roses? Well, I say we shouldn't be cut out of the Valentines fun just because we sneezed and mistakenly moved our heads a fraction to the right when Cupid was aiming his arrow at us. Single hood is still a good hood to live in when the big V-Day rolls around each year (play on words not intended at all, but I suppose Valentines Day COULD be considered Victory Day, depending on what situation you are in at the time). I can provide sugary treats to excited nieces and nephews, express my love for friends and family, (if you haven't guessed, my "Love Language" is Words of Affirmation), and find other ways of expressing affection to others. My ward, for example, helped out at the Food Bank yesterday, another great way of extending love to others!

Anyways, now I'll hop off my high-horse of love, but I would love to hear some good love stories from those of you who are right smack dab in the middle of your own love story. Do tell me how you felt when you fell in love with the love of your life, and be descriptive because I'd really like to know!

Adieu, mes cheres amis, je vous aime beaucoup. :)