Brazil got me thinking about love and affection. Everyone greeted us with hugs and kisses; there are no strangers in Brazil. So different than our American culture where anything more than a quick handshake is suspect.
The touchy-feely Brazilian nature is as foreign to me as the language. Growing up on military bases, salutes were exchanged more than hugs. In Brazil I challenged myself to let down my guard, to the amazement of friends back home.
"You couldn't even share a bed with me," Tina reminded me, "You asked the hotel for a cot." Yes, but who sleeps with the bride the night before her wedding?
Why is it so hard to speak the language of affection? Is our addiction to shows like the The Bachelor a way of meeting an unmet craving for intimacy?
The touchy-feely Brazilian nature is as foreign to me as the language. Growing up on military bases, salutes were exchanged more than hugs. In Brazil I challenged myself to let down my guard, to the amazement of friends back home.
"You couldn't even share a bed with me," Tina reminded me, "You asked the hotel for a cot." Yes, but who sleeps with the bride the night before her wedding?
Why is it so hard to speak the language of affection? Is our addiction to shows like the The Bachelor a way of meeting an unmet craving for intimacy?
Season 3's Bachelor lived near me so I watched as 25 women competed for the rose. Meet Andrew Firestone and enter to win a year's supply of Top Ramen, our grocery store would have these absurd promotions.
The neighbors were truly sad when Andrew's engagement fizzled. What did they expect? In 14 seasons, no bachelor has ever married the lover holding the final rose.
"Harmless habit," friends defend tuning in to a show with a 100% failure rate. Or is it porn for the heart? Cheap romance to fill a void? Exotic locales, steamy kisses, rose-petal strewn bedrooms. "It's the fairytale aspect," said one writer.
Of course. Fantasy sell. Sex and champagne can woo a heart for a season. But tenderness and affection? They'll win it for a lifetime.
Do you know what it means to come home to a woman who gives you a little tenderness and affection? It means you're in the wrong house.
~Henry Youngman
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