The Infamous 5th Grade "Cootie"....

So again... here I sit with Grace, and wonder about the rest of the world... Thinking about the progression of love in a person's life. Not any specific person, but anyone. I think back to elementary school.... when boys had cooties. They had cooties because they were different, and we couldn't understand why. If you really think about the nature of the relationships in 5th grade, we never really get that much further than that. There is still the concern of the cootie... but now its in the form of hurt and heartbreak, not a fictitious parasite that may or may not infect your bloodstream and make you violently ill should you come in contact with it. How is heartache any different than the elusive cootie? It’s really the same.... crippling stomach pains with possible dry heaves.... the same. Genuine heartache is exactly the same.

So we spend at least the first decade after 5th grade investigating what really doesn't exist.... the cootie free man. It’s an illusion not unlike a good hair day or the lock ness monster. But I think it’s important to realize that they view us the same. The cootie has a different meaning and rears its ugly head in different ways depending on your gender, buy its still there.

Now where I think I am a bit ahead of the rest is that I seem to be developing immunity to the cootie. And, even better is I am also developing some sort of a sixth "cootie" sense that tells in what form it will appear eventually. I have a hard time going on date number 2 because of it. I can already tell how and in what form this person will lack in my mind. I guess that's a good thing, saves me a lot of lip gloss and time, but nonetheless, I almost wish I could just go on the date and not care.... I am learning that, but it’s taking time.

For now, I will continue to try and overcome whatever cooties I will face on my dates, and even do my part (as I have for 10 years now) to help the men I encounter to learn how to vaccinate their own cooties. I think I have done well, and now have found the optimism to look forward to the next man I date in order to get him ready for his wife......
we all have a purpose here... guess that's mine.

As always.... good times,
-Cyn