All you need is Love ( why isnt LOVE considered a proper noun? I think we should always capitalize it)

This weekend is the wedding of my great friend Mike and his amazing fiance Meryl. I would like to spend time wallowing in the fact that I am unable to attend the wedding but that would be extremely selfish, and most likely boring ! ( oh and I know I said Id be telling you about LAST weekends wedding but that will have to wait... carpe diem ! )

So todays post is dedicated to Mike and Meryl. I Love you both and I know that you have a lifetime of Love and peace ahead of you.

" Ive ALWAYS been in Love, it was only a matter of finding someone to really get in there with me ". That is something I realized recently, or maybe I always knew but had never been able to articulate. Obviously the quote is meant to be from my own personal perspective, but it got me thinking about all people.

First let me explain what I mean by the quote. This may sound strange but when I look back on my life and think about past romances, friendships, and even infatuations I can recognize that the Love I feel and express today was there in every instance. Its the same exact Love I feel now when I smile catching Devin singing in the shower, or when I beam with pride and Love watching a friend or family member graduate or get married, even when I cry in empathy over a sad but true documentary on TV. It all comes from the same bottomless reservoir of Love inside of us all. We like to break it up, being the organizers we are, into categories that help us forget that Love is simply Love. I think my point here is that we naturally come into this world in Love, in this instance I do not mean born into Love, although of course I hope that to be true as well.

Some people know they are in Love from the day they are born, you know these types. They glow. They laugh a little harder, cry a little more, and it always seems like there are people around them quietly wondering what their secret is. These are the people who show genuine interest when they are making small talk to the grocery store check out lady. They get a sparkle in their eye upon meeting a new person and learning all about them. They are wide open to accept the world in all its glory and consequence. Every day is new and wondrous, and somehow the child inside them is always present. Even though these people almost sound complete as they are, that does not take anything away from the moment they find their other piece of the puzzle.
Only now is the full potential to manifest all of their dreams possible.

Now others dont realize the Love they are in for years and years until the right person opens their eyes to it. This may sound like a sad lot but it isnt. Life can be almost as good this way, especially since you dont know what youre missing. Its just like saving a present to be opened later, forgetting it was in the closet, and then being pleasantly surprised when it finds you. It could be a romance that enlightens them and helps them open the present, it could also be a parent, a friend, even a stranger ... the possibilities are endless. Watch out though, once the ribbons are torn off and the scraps of wrapping paper are a big mess all over the floor, the light will come streaming out through every crack in the box until the world is suddenly anew ! Now Love is everywhere and there is no turning back. We've all seen what happens when someone tries to wrap the Love back up in the box, it isnt pretty. There are open patches without wrapping paper here and there, and there never seems to be enough tape to get it back in properly. I wouldnt recommend this to anyone !

It is the coming together of these great people in different stages of opening the present that make the world such an interesting place to live in, and I am thankful for that.

Now, back to Mike and Meryl. Mike, whom I have had the pleasure to know for most of my life, is definitely a member of group number one. Mike , you ALWAYS have a light in your eyes like you are waiting for the next amazing thing to just pop up out from around the corner ! What is it you know that the rest of us dont ?!! Maybe it was Meryl you were always awaiting... but now that she has come along the light is even brighter!( so there goes that theory). Meryl, we have only had a small time to get to know each other. I dont think I can comfortably throw you into either category, you could even be a little bit of both. What I can say though, is that together you are balanced and beautiful. I have seen peace in both of your eyes anytime we have all been together, and peace is drastically underrated.

I feel so honored and lucky to have been with you, Mike, through so many different parts of life where Love was present. Even though we have lived way too far from each other for far too long, you are truly one of the closest people to my heart. From cutting a rug at the school dance in the senior commons, putting me in fits of laughter in Ms. Parmleys art class( and really I couldnt count the laughter we shared on a million hands over all this time) , and maybe most importantly sadly sharing many tears over the loss of your mother. Now is a time of Love that I will be missing out on and I can hardly bear it ! ( you should see the tissues around me right now, god maybe its better Im not there- I dont know if I could handle it !) It is breaking my heart not to be there but I know you know that. You both will be in my thoughts and heart all weekend.

I know your day will be beautiful , it couldnt be any other way with two people as authentic, creative and Loving as you are. CONGRATULATIONS ! MAZEL TOV ! I LOVE YOU !

The LYG Story

Fridays are supposed to be the day for my mushy, pukey, nauseous love post. But since its week one of this blog I'll stray only slightly and use the days post to explain the title of this blog. Love Your Guts.

Its funny, it seems so simple and obvious to me. Its just a twist on the old "hate your guts!". From time to time, though, many friends and strangers alike have asked me to explain it. I cant do it without talking about Rachell Grubbs. One of the best friends Ive ever had, even though we have thousands of miles between us now ! We met working at a coffee shop in Tempe, Arizona and immediately got along famously. We worked together there for I think about 2 yrs... I know it was over a year for sure, and most likely close to 2. Im convinced that we had more fun at work than anyone in the history of fun at work ! We did behind the counter interpretive plastic bag dancing, drank countless shots of espresso, and knew every customer that came through the door by name and favorite drink. We were good. And the customers knew it ! As recently as this past spring I was still running into regulars from there who would tell me " its just never been the same" since you guys left, and its been over 5 yrs !!!

So when Rachell and I found out we had the same birthday, which couldnt have taken that long, we were ecstatic and felt it only made sense. There had to be an explanation for the over flowing creative energy between us, and in our minds this was it ! . Though we never used our collective talent for anything productive or lucrative, Im pretty sure we amused the hell out of quite a few people, to a point. I do remember on a few occasions hearing " I gotta go I cant handle you two" or " I feel like Im missing something here what the hell is so funny?" ( and to that I would say sometimes we didnt even know). Somehow our brains were a little more similar to each others than most. The connections happened at light speed, the jokes, stories, and sentences all came out a lot faster and sometimes were not even complete from an outside view even though we would be rolling in laughter !

Anyway eventually we became roommates and lived together for about 2 yrs ( again my memory sucks sorry). The madness continued ! We had great parties, and overall great times. We helped each other through many a boy problem, shared many a drink, and shed plenty of tears. Somewhere in the mess of all this I can remember a time where we were just being stupid and laughing at god knows what and Rachell saying ( very facetiously ) " I hate your guts" and I responded " Well I love your guts" . It just came out. It fit the moment perfectly, and I meant it. When we talked it though later we realized how unintentionally great it was.

Whether friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, brother, sister, mother or father, when you really love someone for everything they are you really do " love their guts" ! Inside and out. With all of their flaws, issues, and baggage ! And if you really want to get technical you do LOVE their liver, kidneys, lungs, spleen and everything else in there right down to their actual beating heart, all for keeping them alive for you to love them another day.

So next time you want to tell a friend how much you love them without sounding sappy, and without possibly embarrassing yourself just wind up like youre gonna let em' have it and say " you know what?... I love your guts !" Its more fun than your standard I love you, and even somewhat empowering (I swear).

Rachell if youre reading this... I still LOVE YOUR GUTS !!!

Well it looks like I might have fulfilled my mushy post assignment after all !

Some extra info... I chose Led Zeppelins " Fool in the Rain" as an homage to old times, Rachell and I love this song. We used to go to a particular piano bar in Tempe much too often, and much too often requested this song to the point of the staff learning it just for us ! They probably regretted it, too, since we requested it just as much as ever after that!