One of my favorite pastime since high school, like most girls probably, is to watch and re-watch romantic movies. I could become Ms. Couch Potato and date McDonald’s milkshakes and fries for a whole day. I’d watch movies I’ve seen before, every time feeling like the first time, and cry happy tears despite already knowing what would happen and how the movie would end. And knowing that each one would end in a happy ending, despite the conflicts and dramatic twists, is soothing for me.
One of my all time favorite romance would be “Fifty First Dates”. If you’ve never seen it before, I won’t spoil it for you, but I do suggest (rather strongly) that you look it up now. Anyway, in a flash, it’s a story about Henry Roth who lives in Hawaiian paradise, constantly in search of the perfect woman. This was until he met Lucy Whitmore, who unfortunately for him suffers from short term memory loss and can’t store any new memories after the accident which caused her condition. But Henry found himself trying to win her heart every day. Here are my favorite quotes from the movie:
Lucy: I don't know who you are, Henry...but I dream about you almost every night.
Lucy: Why?
Henry: What would you say if I told you that notebook you read every day used to have a lot of stuff about me in it?
Lucy: I would say that that makes a lot of sense.
Henry: You erased me from your memories because you thought you were holding me back from having a full and happy life. But you made a mistake. Being with you is the only way I could have a full and happy life. You're the girl of my dreams...and apparently, I'm the man of yours.
A man who dedicates his life into winning the heart of the woman of his dreams, every single day, without fail… Isn’t that amazing? I believe that every one of us must learn to go after the loves of our lives. To never take him/her for granted. To always try to win his/her heart again and again, day in and day out.
Now I am a hopeless romantic, so happily ever after has always been within arms’ length for me. Even when it wasn’t yet. But I do understand that some people may question if happily ever after really could happen for anyone. Well, I’m here to tell you that it does. I am a living proof that after eight years of marriage, I still get butterflies in my stomach every time my husband calls me in the middle of the day casually to ask if I’ve had my lunch. Or how he’d kiss me goodnight before going to sleep every night. Or when he carries me into our bedroom after I fail to stay awake during a football game. Or how he would always Skype me every time we are apart, knowing fully how much I’d miss him. Butterflies. Every time. But I guess, it’s all a part of working on our marriage, of keeping that fire burning. It’s about knowing that we each have a role to play in this journey we began together, eight years ago. It’s about always remembering what made us fall madly in love in the first place and try to always fall in love again and again. And when this happens, romantic movies would no longer be too far-fetched, instead it will be just an overly dramatic portray of real life. An overly dramatic portray that you’d laugh about, not in sarcasm, but because you notice the slight truth there is in every one of them.
So if you’re married, I do encourage you to relive the moments that lit up the fireworks in your heart once before. No matter how you’re feeling today, bring back those moments when you were so madly in love with each other. If you’re still looking for the right one, remember that life is too good to be spent alone. Choose wisely but never be too afraid to fall in love. But as for Melissa, the beautiful woman in this series, I wish you a happily ever after with your Ricardo. I thank you for the brief time we spent shooting your beauty portraits at Kebun Raya Bogor, and for braving yourself to swing on such a small branch. We had great laughs. Stay cute and pretty, Mel. We really adore your smile.
With love,
Fen
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