you & me

The story of love.

 

{Photo: Thomas Lloyd Qualls}

{Photo: Thomas Lloyd Qualls}

It is bedtime somewhere, so let me tell you the story of love. I’m not sure you are ready for this story.

Truth be told, I’m not sure if anyone is ever ready for the story of love. It is epic, to be sure. But it is also not at all the story most readers expect when they pick up the book.

Mostly, it is not a story filled with roses and white horses and dragons to be slayed, kingdoms on a hill and daring princes. Though there are all of those. It is not really a romance novel either — it costs much more than that. And the characters are real.

It starts with an in the beginning, like all great stories. It includes some knee-buckling swoons, some day-dreamy distracting fantasies, and more than a few passionate kisses, lingering glances, and hopeful anticipations.

It grabs your attention right away. From the moment you spot the cover, you can’t put it down. You think about it day and night and you can’t wait to savor the next word, sentence, paragraph. In fact, at first you may be so overwhelmed that you find you have to put it down for a while.

You find that you aren’t quite ready to read it. Have patience though. Its time will come.

And when at last it is time, it will consume your whole attention once more. Days and nights of stolen bliss, sometimes devouring entire pages or even chapters at once — despite its richness. Or maybe because of it.

So abundant are its rewards, you will give up your lifelong hesitancies. You’ll wonder why you waited so long to read it. You will surrender, again and again, into its arms, its charms, its bed. You’ll stand naked before it. Blindfolded, you’ll dive into its pools. You’ll let it bathe you and dress you.

And so it will be, for a time.

from rodin museum

{Photo: Thomas Lloyd Qualls}

The glory of love, though, does not stand still. It tugs you into deeper waters, walks you up higher passes, traverses along ever-exposed walls of rock. It beckons you to taste different foods, take different paths, travel to foreign lands, learn new languages, feel your way through the dark.

And you welcome the adventures, accept the challenges, apply for the new passport, read all the travel guides, and buckle yourself in for the ride.

With love, time is a blur, a roller coaster, a wormhole to fall through again and again. It disorients you, loses your luggage, forces you to stay awake longer than you thought possible. But it never loses sight of you and the things you need. And along the way it serves you really good coffee and puts dark chocolates on your pillows.

Though you may think it’s lost its way, it never has. Love has perfect direction, perfect timing, and perfect insight. Though you may lose sight of love, love never loses sight of you.

Though dastardly interlopers like alarm clocks and dirty diapers plant landmines in your path, love is not fooled. Though all size and shape of pied pipers will consume your hands and distract your head, love knows the way.

Though doubt and frustration eclipse all expectation, love still knows the way. Though your eyes get cloudy and your mouth gets mouthy, love still knows the way. Though the headlights are dim and you’re sure the chances are slim, love still knows the way.

Through the fog of grey days and the haze of dark nights, love still knows the way. You could lock all the doors and turn out all the lights, love still knows the way.

Love still knows the way.

The book you’ve put down, again and again, because the words don’t make sense and the story’s too intense. Yes, the one that is still beneath your nightstand. Pick it up and you’ll find the storyline’s still intriguing. Pick it up and you’ll find that the characters are reeling. Not because love’s a tragedy, oh no, that’s not it.

Pick it up and you’ll find you’re still in love with it.

More than this, you’ll discover as you read, you’re not nearly as far along as you thought. All those dreams you once dreamed, guess where they were caught?

The story of love goes this way and that. The story of love makes us wonder what’s what. The story of love is longer than long. The story of love is the sweetest of songs. In the story of love there’s no losing or winning.

The story of love is really just beginning.

smiling snow buddha 4

{Photo: Thomas Lloyd Qualls}

 

*****

{The Book of Love}

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Thomas Qualls

Thomas Qualls

Writer. Novelist. Essayist. Attorney. Artist.
Thomas Lloyd Qualls is a writer -- a condition that is apparently incurable. He manages his condition, in part, by regular contributions to Rebelle Society and to Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine. He's also a novelist, an essayist, a videographer, a painter, a bike rider, and through his law practice -- a sometimes salvager of troubled lives. 'Waking Up at Rembrandt’s', his debut novel, has received local and national critical acclaim. The second edition of the novel is available in print (think of vinyl, only for books) and on multiple e-version platforms. There’s also a book of poetry, 'Love jaywalks', available everywhere e-books are sold. Still on the horizon: a collection of essays, some new paintings, and a second novel, 'Painted oxen', due out soon. In the meantime, you can visit his website whenever you like for more of his stuff.
Thomas Qualls
Thomas Qualls
Thomas Qualls

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