After Fireworks and Shooting Stars

 I have always thought of love like I was watching fireworks or shooting stars in the night sky. Fireworks always make me feel excited and jittery. Anticipating the next spectral design of lights in the sky, it has always left me wide-eyed and open-mouthed in awe of its beauty. Shooting stars make me feel the same. A breath-taking wonder that only happens every not-so-often in a lifetime. It's always unexpected when I see one. And when I do, I often breathe in deeply and smile from cheek to cheek as if I have experienced the most wonderful moment in my life.

But love, as I mature, turns out to be the opposite, however not exactly. Love may start and may be in the show, but real love comes after the show of fireworks and shooting stars. Love shows its true appearance when all I can see is the dark night sky. Love is not all about how good I felt -- that's just the tip of the iceberg -- rather, love sets in just right after the fun and excitement subsides. Love, for me, becomes love when, after the display of fascinating lights, I decide to stay and look at how the stars in the night sky shine brightly until dawn decides to break in.

After the fireworks and shooting stars have burned out, a person can walk away and go home because the attractions have ended. But that's not the way with love. In love, a person, in his sane and respectful self, can not just turn around and walk away when all the happy thoughts and feelings have subsided. In love, a person can not just bow his head down and end his day when the relationship or the partner can not provide the exciting, jittery experience anymore. Love is more than that. Love, just like waiting for the night sky to be clear, holds more wonder than what fireworks and shooting stars can offer. Love requires patience to see the stationary stars that were shining behind all along. Love appreciates even more the tiniest, almost unseen details of life or of a person -- just like how a distant star twinkles from white to yellow to red. Love remains even when darkness and boredom sets in and still sees the beauty in it.

Thus, at this moment, love, for me,is like the big night sky. Behind it's basic, quiet layout, it offers a lot of awe-full and deeper experiences besides fun and excitement. It requires courage, commitment and hope-- a decision to stay put, believing and knowing that some time after, another set of fireworks and shooting stars would come across a person's way again.