The Most Cherished Things in Life Don't Come Easy

March 2011, pre-engagement

5 years ago I fell in love with a boy. He picked me up at my apartment to take me to dinner and was carrying a single rose, chocolates, and a gift wrapped box of light bulbs. Yes, light bulbs. And that is what melted my heart. He had remembered that my dinning room light was burnt out and cared enough to help me fix it because I was a college student, skater, and coach and replacing a light bulb was not at the top of my to-do list.  

At the end of the lovely evening, he hadn't held my hand or kiss me. But two days later on Valentine's Day, I found this poem in my inbox: 

Physics can be hard,

If you don't know what it's about.

So I have written you a poem,

Hoping it will help you out.

It's the MAGNITUDE of you and me,

As we fall at 9.8 METERS PER SECOND SQUARED,

And the only thing to stop us,

Is the RESISTANCE of the air.

And with a VECTOR such as this,

Our DIRECTION must be true.

Because our TERMINAL VELOCITY,

Is coming in to view.

But as we add up the EQUATION,

We see it won’t be long,

Because with FLUID, ROLLING movement,

FRICTION isn't very strong.

And with POTENTIAL ENERGY building,

It looks like things are going well.

But what will really happen?

Only TIME will tell.

-Marshall Adams, February 2011

I never doubted his intentions with me after I read those simple words of young love. Ours is a relationship of communication, friendship, and realistic expectations. This year he shampooed the carpet in our apartment for my gift. I made him coconut and blood orange mousse for dessert. We are simple. But we are real. Love takes consistent work, but the most cherished things in life don't come easy. 

Happy Valentine's Day my friends.