Love is in the Air

Spring has arrived on the shimmering shores of Aotearoa.

The days are getting longer, the sunshine is getting stronger; birds have even joined in with slightly sweeter spring songs shared joyfully amidst the blooming flowers and trees wherever I wander.

Love is in the air, and HEAPS of people are “hooking up” and taking a chance on romance. It does this Hobbit heart a world of good to witness this schmaltzy, loved-up, googly eyed greatness.

It has been a long time (13 years) since Grumpy and I were at this honeymoon stage of our relationship. I must say though, even all these years down the track, Spring brings with it some sort of renewed gratitude that I have found my soul mate and fought through some very difficult times and situations to stay in this magnificent marriage.

All of this Love and romance in the air got me thinking: Statistically speaking, there is going to be more than one “soul-mate” for all of us, and how lucky/unlucky to bump into more than one at the same time it must be.

It happens to lots of people that they have to make a choice, and I’m pleased to report that neither Phteven nor myself feel any imminent danger of jumping ship from our marriage, but I certainly understand how this could happen, either voluntarily or otherwise.

Where was I? That was a bit of a tangent…

Oh yes. LOVE is in the air, it is all around, blah, blah, blabbidy blah.

A good EV geek friend of ours: Downtown Mr. M “the traveler” Brown came up with a formula for guessing how many “soul-mates” or at the very least, compatible partners there were on the planet for him, or any of us for that matter. He used a formula similar to the Drake Equation and came up with a number in the tens of thousands.

M lost his kindred spirit, best friend and wife a couple of years ago now, and he has been in no hurry to go out and embark on a new relationship, despite several offers and interested parties propositioning him. Once he was offered boom boom in a food court in Thailand, but he graciously declined this generous (and direct) advance. Makes a great story though.

M is on a journey of self-discovery and has been around the planet several times since I met him. He is gaining knowledge, nurturing friendships, and learning about himself and the world around him.

One day he will have grieved enough, learned enough, and healed enough to get back out in the dating trenches, but he is no great hurry, and I respect the absolute ever-loving-stuffing out this man for all of these things.

M is just one of the many friends I know and Love dearly, who are grieving the loss of a partner, or the end of a marriage or relationship.

He and I also had a long heart to heart about a mutual friend of ours who we were keen to see coupled after an amicable divorce. This friend spent a good chunk of the time I have known him being his own worst enemy, and basically scared of women. The man of whom I speak is one of the most loved up newly coupled people on the planet currently. He can’t stop grinning like an idiot or staring lovingly into his beautiful new girlfriend’s eyes at parties. The whole world is full of rainbows and unicorn farts for this guy and his gorgeous new girlfriend, and I am absolutely LOVING watching it all from the sidelines.

So, wherever you are in life and Love, I wish you so much joy and happiness.

If you are struggling through tough times in your relationship, I hope it gets better for everyone and honesty, kindness and resilience guide you and your lover to a better place.

If you are grieving, I wish you strength, light and hope. I pray that you can see that there is beauty all around you, and Love yourself enough to either be happy with or without a significant other. And I hope I get to hug you at some point because hugs are very healing.

If you are one of the eye-rolling ridiculously cute couples that seem to be dotted among my landscape, then I hope that you can enjoy this and every stage of the relationship that lays ahead of you.

New Lovers hold such promise, and whatever happens, be it a wonderful week, a fleeting spring romance, or a Love that lasts for the rest of both of your lives and on through eternity, I thank you for taking a risk on Love and giving a part of your heart and self to someone else.

Love truly is what makes the world go round.

Have a great day, and thanks for reading.