So... How Does it Work anyway?

Well there's a rose in the fisted glove
And the eagle flies with the dove
And if you can't be with the one you love, honey
Love the one you're with.
[Stephen Stills,  "Love The One You're With"]

I was very young when I began having "deep thoughts" about life. For instance, back in the 50's (maybe even today), people thought there was the One True Love waiting for them somewhere. That somehow, Fate, God, Kismet... whatever... would bring them together. I gleaned this from fairy tales, books, movies, and TV shows...

It took me only a short time to decide it was silly. Not because, at 9 or younger, I thought that love was "mushy girl stuff" but because I found it odd that this One True Love would so often be living next door or at least going to the same high school.

Even then, with the world's population at around 2.77 billion (my, how we've grown since then), I thought the odds of that One True Love living in the same town as his/her mate would be astronomical. That feeling never went away.

Especially after I moved away to another state, grew up while moving around a bit, joined the Navy (to see the world, of course), and traveled far and wide. I met women all over the place; in Florida, in California, New Mexico, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Mexico... everywhere I went. Many of whom seemed to think I was their One True Love and thought themselves to be mine. One even tried to prove this via astrology.

I also rejected that "love at first sight" meme that has permeated romantic literature since man discovered language. Lust, maybe, but love? Love, I think, must grow between two people... and out of friendship.

I suppose you could say I am not the romantic type. That would be accurate. Just don't tell Faye.