I have no qualms admitting that I stay in most Friday nights. And when I say "most", I mean just about every single one of 'em.
Maybe it's because I'm now ~10,500 days old ;) but mainly it's because both my body (and bank account) direct me to chill the f@%# out, and refrain from the public. Hahaha
So I've made a habit of it to have a phone date with my Grandma Stella the moment I finish work each and every Friziday noche :)
But tonight was different than most. Tonight was somehow even more spectacular and insightful than normal. Because somehow tonight, the most amazing 92 year old on the planet, bestowed more upon me than I could ever thank her for.
When I called Grams she answered in the same "perfectly Stella" fashion as always ... "Helllloooooooooo!" Mind you, the woman does not have caller-ID (nor would she know how to use or read the mechanism if granted), she just kind heartedly greets each and every person, unconditionally, with the same welcoming voice :)
But tonight, for some reason, when she heard my voice on the other end, she almost immediately began to cry :( Needless to say, I felt HORRIBLE and asker her why she was feeling sad. And in return, in her "perfectly Stella" fashion, she said to me, "Oh Stacers I'm not sad -- I'm just so happy to hear from you. Ahhh, listen to me crying like a baby. Here I am at 92 years old, and I can't help but to love being loved!"
Our conversation went per usual after that -- meaning, it lasted all of 5 minutes before she said, "I should go now, this long distance call must be costing you an arm and a leg!" (... along with caller-ID, things such as "free night and weekend minutes" are simply not within her willing-comprehension ;)
After we hung up I thought to myself, "Wow -- NINETY TWO years old and all she really wants at the end of the day is to be loved." (insert deep breaths here)
Talk about a human truth!
My God, "just" to be LOVED. Think about it ...
It's why we call home (and vise versa).
It's why we check our phones at least a hundred times a day in not-so-secret-hopes for a missed text or email.
It's why our grandparents give us too much of everything.
Why we listen to slow music (and MeatLoaf is a gazillionaire)
It's why we drunk dial our ex's.
Hell, it's why we get drunk (and screw) in the first place ;)
It's why we have babies, be it planned or not.
Why romantic comedies are the #1 genre of all time.
The root of the reason that a bartender pours ya a lil' extra ...
and hence therefore, why we leave tips :)
It's why your boss announces an unexpected half-day in July.
(and maybe a little bit why we work so hard to begin with)
It's why we seek approval, strive to fit in ...
Why we "play house", "put on a happy face"
Why we "do the dance", and "put on a show".
It's why we host parties, have bridesmaids, buy dogs ...
For heaven's sake, it's why we HUG :)
Because at the end of the day, the fact of the matter is that love is a return investment. And holy-hot-damn take my word when I say that if you've ever had the guts to give it, the "ROI" on love is ab-so-fuckin-lutely priceless!
Because when it comes to love, I strongly believe it's the only thing that is "chicken" nor "egg" ... we need it to come first, we need it to come second, and we need it come ALWAYS. We need to love and most of all, we need to be loved.
So whether it's simply signing off with an "XOXO" or saying it straight to the one that means most in your life, do me a favor and send a little love out into the universe today ...
You could use it, he or she could use it, and let's just face it,
the whole g-damn world could really use it, right about now :)
