Getting Burned

I burned my tongue today. For like the fifth time in a week.

I just removed the tea from the microwave, yet I lunged for it like I hadn’t had anything to drink in years. I was too impatient to wait for things to cool down.

I’m sort of like that in the romance department, too.

When it comes to men, I like to get right in there and take a sip, regardless of the emotional temperature of the situation. It’s not that I set out to act like a fool or give my heart away to the next bidder. It’s just that I’m impetuous, excitable and foolhardy. Not once has this method ever really gotten me anywhere. And come to think of it, my feelings about tea have really taken a turn as well.

I liken it to jumping into a pool, fully clothed without remembering that you’ve got a business meeting in 15 minutes and no extra change of clothes. And it’s also January. And the pool has mold. That’s what it’s like to dive into a man without really rationalizing the situation. Yes, I know all about “sometimes you should just go with your heart and not think too hard.” I understand the importance of living in the moment. But I know that when it comes to love, many of us not only live in the moment, but also in the next fifteen moments after that. When we have a good date, already we’re thinking about the next, and the next…men don’t think that way. They are emotional snails. They gradually make it to the next step in about 16 days or so. Then another sixteen to take the one after that. We are like emotional hares. We are always trying to figure out ways to make it to the finish line ahead of everyone else.

This is not to say we’re already dreaming about nuptials or anything like that. We are just primed and ready for the courting race to begin. Once we know that this guy is cute, he makes us laugh and he’s got all his teeth, we don’t need a whole lot more to convince us to go for it. Then, after each date reveals more things about him we like, we’re hooked. That’s it. But if the real lesson to be learned from the fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare” is slow and steady wins the race, then we’ve got to start thinking more like men in order to keep up the momentum. How to do this?

Don’t ask me. I just burned my tongue…again. I’m still getting the hang of tea. I need to do more steeping before I can figure anything out about love.