The Gift of a Kiss

 

Photo Credit: www.stockvault.net

What does a kiss mean to you? Think on that question as I tell this story from my own life.

In my senior year of high school, the theater department decided to do Little Women: The Musical. I was so excited! I had never done a musical before, and I wanted to be a part of it so much that I took choir to be in good standing with the music director! Auditions came and went, and I received the part of Meg March, the romantic, eldest sister in the musical. I was able to sing some of the highest notes in the score! When reading the script, I came across a stage direction that said for Meg and Mr. Brooke to kiss. This was before we started blocking rehearsals. I thought, I don't have to worry about this too much. I may not even have to do it.
When blocking rehearsals came, I found out that I did have to do the kiss. I probably blushed beet red when I heard it, but I knew I could do it. But, I kept putting it off in the rehearsal process... I had never kissed anyone before, and I was completely clueless.

I told a few of my friends about how I felt and they told me not to worry about it. "It's just a kiss; it's no big deal." This answer didn't satisfy me. It still didn't take away the anxiety that I felt. Two weeks before opening night, I was in rehearsal singing the beautiful duet that happened before the kiss. I was planning to put it off again. There were people watching in close proximity behind me, and I didn't want to do the stage kiss then. (I wasn't as worried about kissing on stage, because I couldn't see the audience.) As the song ended, he moved slightly to kiss me, and I pushed him back, like I usually did, but this time he went right on ahead. (I was also having a really bad day, so my reaction was doubly bad.)

I could feel and see the people watching as I promptly left the room, embarrassed out of my wits. I didn't like the fact that the whole situation was treated like it was meaningless by the students around me. "Let's just get it over with." It was never and never became a full-on kiss, it was actually really bad, but I was upset greatly by everyone telling me that it didn't matter. Inherently, I thought otherwise. I knew a kiss was supposed to be special. I knew it had meaning, even if I was playing a fictional character! Trying to tell myself that it was meaningless was internally conflicting!

I am very good friends with everyone who was in the production, but their statements and actions so aptly reflected society's view on kissing, and how truly flawed and saddening it is. We are told that making out with someone we've just met at a party is "normal" and "perfectly okay", but, in reality, it is not. Some people may ask, "Why is making out a problem? It's just kissing." Don't you, in the deepest parts of your heart, want it to be more than "just a kiss"? Society has reduced the act of kissing to entertainment. Today, people falsely see it as a prerequisite to dating. You shouldn't kiss anyone you wouldn't date or aren't dating, and even more seriously, don't kiss anyone you wouldn't want to marry! Think about this: Would you want your future spouse to make out excessively in every relationship they've had? No! You would want your future spouse to save that passion for you in marriage! There will be people who will frown upon the idea that you value your kisses so much. A kiss is a gift that is shared between a man and a woman, and it should be cherished! I'm not saying that a couple can't kiss ever, goodness, no! I am saying to think about what your kisses mean in the context of a relationship. Even a simple kiss on the cheek can mean the world to someone. Value every kiss you give. They are priceless!

I still haven't had my first real kiss, and I haven't been in a relationship yet. I have had a lot of really good guy friends, but I have never had a boyfriend, even with all of the pressure on girls to have one. I think this will allow me to cherish and form powerful friendships before thinking of moving to a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Patience is a very important. It is rarely easy. Value friendships because they can last for a long time!

Kisses have a time and a place in relationships. I wanted to share my story with you to demonstrate that, regardless of the situation, kisses do have meaning. Don't give them away freely. Cherish them. Raise your standards and you may see a change in the types of relationships you encounter!


References:
How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul by Jason and Crystalina Evert