Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Post 1 - Five Ways to Win My Heart

1- Listen and Argue
    Let me talk your ear off about whatever I want every so often, because I spend 98% of my life listening and honestly, I'm good at it and I love it--but once in a while, I need to ramble off on my own tangents and feel like you want to hear everything I think or feel or imagine---But that doesn't mean agree. I don't want sycophantic listening, I want a partner. An intellectual who will argue--or debate or discuss if you like that better--politics and religion and ideas and books and movies and music and societal issues and best flavors of jelly beans and corniest holidays and worst book-to-film adaptations. Challenge me. Listen to me. 
2- Be passionate and protective
      Love something--and be proud of it. Love your job; love your hobby; love black and white photography; love reading Russian novels; love Star Wars; love jazz standards from the 40's--love something and let that passion shine from your whole being. Be protective. Of what you believe. Of your passions. Of others. Be the person who stands up when something is wrong; be the champion of the underdog. Love people enough to want to drive them home, even if it's just 2 blocks, because you don't want them to get heatstroke or frostbite. Have a purpose and defend it. 
3- Be kind and show it
     Give the shirt off your back if someone else needs it more. Smile at strangers. Listen to little kids and grandparents. Tip generously, speak softly, hold the door. Let people off the hook. Sacrifice your wants for the needs of others every so often. Be kind
4- Make me laugh
     No, you don't have to be a stand-up comedian. I'm not asking you to be "on" all the time. But have a sense of humor. Enjoy the quirky; the random. Let yourself be amused. Show me that you can laugh through the easy times --and find a smile during the dark. 
5- Let me Nerd
    You don't have to love British television or 20th century Russian composers. You don't have to obsessively build DVD collections of your favorite shows, or reread favorite books a billion times over. But let me. Let me cry during movies without making (too much) fun. Let me binge watch Supernatural or ER. Let me quote Gilmore Girls and M*A*S*H. Sit with me until the composer's name appears in the end credits of a movie. Let me listen to Shostakovich's 5th twenty times in a row--and let me explain to you why it's so brilliant. You don't have to love what I love--just let me love it. And, hey, maybe join me every so often. 

Honorable Mentions
-Sour watermelons, Hershey's chocolate pie, fruit snacks, arroz con pollo, icees, and Dove's dark chocolate
-Chevy Impalas. Mostly of the year 1967
-Superhero powers
-House on the West coast, right in sight of the ocean
-Golden. Retriever. Puppies. and hedgehogs
-Time-and-space-travelling blue police box
-Season tickets to all the major symphonies
-Annual passes to Disneyland
-Flights to anywhere in the world, at any time
-Billions of dollars :D


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