Dr Shaneman wrote...
I'm waiting for it to find me, since I'm at the point where I'm likely to rush in on something that won't last.
A good solution would be rushing in all the way. Wing it.
By the way... I'm back from my cousin's wedding. The whole thing was a hassle. The crowd, work, all the mashing and mixing up... eugh. Didn't like it at all.
But then in the night the whole family watched the cousin and her husband opened the presents... reading all the wishes and so on. While the wishes were basically reiteration of the same thing over and over, no individuality at all, I liked how they seemed so close yet so awkward together. The guy looked frail... and for some reason even though he is 26 he looks younger than me... but the two together looked very nice as a couple. That was a little meaningful... I found myself smiling and talking during that.
After that we were about to go back home. We shook hands with everyone there, smiled our "see you again" and such... and then he came to shake hands with me. That was the first time I ever came that close to him even though everyone else knew him so well already (yeah I'm antisocial or whatever) so it was a little weird. But I returned his smile anyway and suddenly it slipped out of my mouth; my first words to him.
Me: How does it feel?
He: Strange. Awkward but very sweet.
Me: Does the world seem different somehow?
He: ...yeah. [cousin's name] means a lot to me.
His smile when he said those words was totally different from the usual smile he had. The normal one could be sincere, but lifeless too. Something done out of a pleasant obligation, he's a nice guy, but that's it. But at that moment of saying it... his smile spoke of a myriad of emotions. Love, trust, confidence, yearning, resolve... and others I can't think of words for them now. That was the smile of a man.
The hassle was very much worth it.