A Kiss is just a Kiss
One thing is for sure. There are as many ways to kiss as there are people. And each person has the capacity to kiss in endlessly possible ways. So there is no ordinary kiss. But you know that ordinary doesn’t really mean mundane when you read it here. It’s more of a nod to the thought that it is possible for everyone. So, let’s examine just one kind of commonplace kiss. The goodbye kiss.
Just time for a quick one
We tend to kiss with speed in mind in the mornings. Mornings are associated with time constraints and schedules and traffic and the perfunctory kiss on the cheek must just do sometimes. This is no mindful one that remembers the uncertainty of life and the unspoken chance that something horrid might happen to make this the very last one. We don’t know and we don’t like to expect that, so quick kiss it is. Really, it’s more of a see you later, alligator. The evening welcome back kiss sometimes has a lingering morningness to it. It is a fast reentry into the life you left. A welcome back, we missed you, kind of smooch.
The Grieving Kiss
Many of us didn’t know we would be giving away last kisses in the past year. We definitely would have put more into them if we could have seen how life was going to speed up and reach the final chapter. We can’t read ahead enough to know exactly who will be involved in these acts or even when they will happen. I guess it demonstrates some optimism that the unexpected last kiss might have happened on the everyday calendar. They are still good kisses. They were freely given and now must expand in our hearts to provide the possibility of endless time. We remember them and cherish them.
The Ideal Kiss
This is what we need to accomplish. The every time kiss that says it all, does it all, and means it all. That might take a lot of energy and without urgency may easily revert to the old style one. After all, it was working perfectly well all this time. I propose something in between. Maybe something with a nicer hug attached or even a kiss on each cheek, Parisian-style. There is always time for 5 more seconds of love, so maybe one with a little eye contact might add more connection. A hug that lingers a little would work for those still chewing their toast or swallowing that last sip of coffee. Whatever you can add, it would bring just a little bit of sparkle to that daily reminder of love to those whose comings and goings mean something special. That would be a good ordinary kiss.
Can you change up your daily kisses to bring more love to them? Can you add in a little something extra at night to a child’s routine to start a lasting memory of love? Can you imagine what it would be like to be able to show affection for those in your life so easily that you look forward to it?
