It's amazing the stuff you unearth when you move (we moved into the larger rental property next door over the Thanksgiving holidays). There I was, sorting through the myriad of clutter, tossing out things that should have been tossed some time ago, when I came across a heart shaped note . . . literally.
I remember sitting in our high school gymnasium. I don't remember who the speaker that day was representing or even the main theme of his discussion, but he left us by encouraging us all to make a list of the qualities that we must have in a partner. We were to make that list and put it in a safe place, and when we thought we'd found the one, we were to make sure they met our qualities. We were not to be blinded by "love". We were not to settle.
I made the list. Of course I did. On heart shaped paper that was no doubt part of a pad distributed as part of an advertising campaign for some drug. At the top of the heart is printed, "Be Heart Smart." How applicable to the content I inscribed upon it.
Somehow, I've managed to hang onto it all this time . . . As I reviewed the 11 items I listed, it saddened me to realize, I did allow myself to be blinded by "love", and I did settle.
If I were to make my list today, each of these items would still remain, though being a much more concise writer, I'd probably combine a couple of the overlapping items now. Of the 11 items listed, I give him a score of 2.5/11 for items 6, 7, and 10. No wonder our relationship is as it is . . .
