To every Elizabeth Taylor her own Richard Burton
Another Valentine's Day has come and gone. You should know by now that I am strongly attached to this celebration. The fact that this celebration, all in all, has brought me in the course of my life a way more pain than joy, has never been a reason to drop my fascination for Lover's Day.
Before you start asking yourselves how exciting my Valentine's Day might have been yesterday, I will immediately give you a reality check. A very bad cold completely crippled me and I was forced to stay confined in bed the whole day(which unfortunately didn't prevent me to do quite a deal of work anyway).
At the end of the day my husband came home with a bunch of flowers and deposited it on me as you would do when visiting a grave.
Oliver (properly instructed by his female daycare teachers) had painted a paper heart for me. This prompted me to think that I should enjoy the limited number of years during which I will be the love of my son's life. It is surely not going to last.
But what does last when talking about love?
Not so long ago I had the chance to read a passage from a letter written by Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor. As tormented and passionate love stories go this one is definitely a classic, since it is a classic example of a love that burned, consumed and did not last. Or as we would say in 21st century lingo, "love that was not sustainable".
Talking about sustainability when one talks about love seems quite odd and out of place, but if you think about it, it is really not.
What makes love relationships sustainable and why is sustainability important?
The way I see it, is that there is a very simple equation at the base of sustainable love
"joy"-"pain" > 0
I am sure you will excuse my engineering background on this.
And of course sustainable love is necessary for an healthy relationship that lasts.
But is sustainable love the only (or the best) kind of love worth experiencing in one's life? This brings me back thinking about Elizabeth and Richard, and my conclusion is that the answer is definitely NO!
That is why I wish to all of you Elizabeths to meet your Richard at least once in your life. And the other way around too (in the spirit of equal opportunities which is so fashionable a concept nowadays)!
So happy Valentine's Day to you all. For this year, next year and all the years of your lives.
Before you start asking yourselves how exciting my Valentine's Day might have been yesterday, I will immediately give you a reality check. A very bad cold completely crippled me and I was forced to stay confined in bed the whole day(which unfortunately didn't prevent me to do quite a deal of work anyway).
At the end of the day my husband came home with a bunch of flowers and deposited it on me as you would do when visiting a grave.
Oliver (properly instructed by his female daycare teachers) had painted a paper heart for me. This prompted me to think that I should enjoy the limited number of years during which I will be the love of my son's life. It is surely not going to last.
But what does last when talking about love?
Not so long ago I had the chance to read a passage from a letter written by Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor. As tormented and passionate love stories go this one is definitely a classic, since it is a classic example of a love that burned, consumed and did not last. Or as we would say in 21st century lingo, "love that was not sustainable".
Talking about sustainability when one talks about love seems quite odd and out of place, but if you think about it, it is really not.
What makes love relationships sustainable and why is sustainability important?
The way I see it, is that there is a very simple equation at the base of sustainable love
"joy"-"pain" > 0
I am sure you will excuse my engineering background on this.
And of course sustainable love is necessary for an healthy relationship that lasts.
But is sustainable love the only (or the best) kind of love worth experiencing in one's life? This brings me back thinking about Elizabeth and Richard, and my conclusion is that the answer is definitely NO!
- In history (Henry the 8th and Ann Boleyn)
- In literature (Catherine and Heathcliff),
- In movies (Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler)
- not to talk about showbizz (as mentioned Elizabeth and Richard)
That is why I wish to all of you Elizabeths to meet your Richard at least once in your life. And the other way around too (in the spirit of equal opportunities which is so fashionable a concept nowadays)!
So happy Valentine's Day to you all. For this year, next year and all the years of your lives.
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