Last week I watched this ‘save the animals’ video that made me very sad. It also gave me a great deal of useful perspective that goes beyond animals. So, every night, I have given my beagle some special and personal attention to show him that I love him. He was there when I had nobody else.
Truth is, there are other things that I value that are there and that will remain even if a romantic relationship ends. Most people drop all the things they had before- jobs, friends, family activities, hobbies, normal appointments, when they get involved in a romantic relationship. My sister and I both get annoyed at that. Two female friends of mine barely talk to me now that they have guys in their lives about whom they are excited. They weren’t great friends per se, but I have been dropped completely as long as things work out.
Then there’s me. I love feeding the homeless Fridays. I enjoy the spirit in John Dalrymple’s class on Thursday nights. I love sacrament meeting. After I get a boy scout troop set up, that will be a priority for me. My dog has been there when nobody else was. He patiently listened to my frustrations in return for a scratch behind his ears and a treat. I look forward to our trip to WY this year in August. Those things will remain even if romance fades, and so it would be ill advised of me to supplant those regular commitments for something new and blooming. If you throw away your family, your friends, your faith and your fellowship, if the romance doesn’t work out, what do you have left? Yet, that’s exactly what we do all the time. Why?
I am not sure why people do this. Maybe it’s for the excitement. Perhaps it’s because it’s what we would rather do with our time. The fact of the matter is that it is an unknown putative eventuality into which we throw everything we take from things that were there before and which may remain afterwards. I love spending time with women toward whom I could feel love, but there are other things I love too. They are good things, they are right things, and they are things with which any woman who loves me should be comfortable if she really means it.
Like in the ad, I will do what I can to keep things priorities in my life that made me a priority in theirs. My dog was there before my date. My family was there before I even knew what a date was. My hobbies are things I would like to do with my date but which I will continue to do because I really enjoy them. I made commitments to these people and organizations, and if I keep my word to them, she can rest more surely that I will keep mine to her as well.
Truth is, there are other things that I value that are there and that will remain even if a romantic relationship ends. Most people drop all the things they had before- jobs, friends, family activities, hobbies, normal appointments, when they get involved in a romantic relationship. My sister and I both get annoyed at that. Two female friends of mine barely talk to me now that they have guys in their lives about whom they are excited. They weren’t great friends per se, but I have been dropped completely as long as things work out.
Then there’s me. I love feeding the homeless Fridays. I enjoy the spirit in John Dalrymple’s class on Thursday nights. I love sacrament meeting. After I get a boy scout troop set up, that will be a priority for me. My dog has been there when nobody else was. He patiently listened to my frustrations in return for a scratch behind his ears and a treat. I look forward to our trip to WY this year in August. Those things will remain even if romance fades, and so it would be ill advised of me to supplant those regular commitments for something new and blooming. If you throw away your family, your friends, your faith and your fellowship, if the romance doesn’t work out, what do you have left? Yet, that’s exactly what we do all the time. Why?
I am not sure why people do this. Maybe it’s for the excitement. Perhaps it’s because it’s what we would rather do with our time. The fact of the matter is that it is an unknown putative eventuality into which we throw everything we take from things that were there before and which may remain afterwards. I love spending time with women toward whom I could feel love, but there are other things I love too. They are good things, they are right things, and they are things with which any woman who loves me should be comfortable if she really means it.
Like in the ad, I will do what I can to keep things priorities in my life that made me a priority in theirs. My dog was there before my date. My family was there before I even knew what a date was. My hobbies are things I would like to do with my date but which I will continue to do because I really enjoy them. I made commitments to these people and organizations, and if I keep my word to them, she can rest more surely that I will keep mine to her as well.
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