Wednesday, February 2, 2005

WHAT A DIFFERENCE ARIZONIA MAKES

ADDICTED TO LOVE  (part XII)

24 hours later I was on I-40 heading west with John and two others. This was to be the adventure of my  life in more ways than one.

Destination: Tucson!

I had never been further west than Memphis! When I use my minds eye and remember that journey, it is the huge, endless blue sky I see. The long trip  was made in a Volkswagen Beetle, the color not really red, not really orange. I was unable to drive a standard shift, so I was exempt from any driving duties. I was content to just watch the country side  slide past me.  Watching the landscape become so different from anything I was familiar with, I could have been journeying to the moon.

As most things in life, it happened when I least expected it. I fell in love with him. I remember the moment. We were doing the tourist thing, riding horses on a desert path. While I was watching him handle his horse with such ease and authority something inside of me shifted. He looked so beautiful, so handsome. I just fell. I fell in love with someone I had known for a year!

It was incredible. The emotion was not a crush, not an infatuation. The sensation had nothing to do with longing, nor looking for someone to complete me. It was a sweeping tenderness and a free fall. As if I had taken a step off the cliffs of safety and into the glorious depths of the unknown. It was as wonderful as I dreamed it would be. When I looked at him, my heart beat faster. I was stunned, caught completely off guard, and deliriously happy.

After several weeks in Tucson, we came home to Murray and moved in together.


 

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love all your old pictures!  Pamela

Anonymous said...

Wow. :-)

Anonymous said...

How cool!  JAE

Anonymous said...

The story is wonderful...but that first picture!  I have one of myself that could be its twin.  1975 at the Grand Canyon.  Except, my trip was taken with my two sisters, not a hunky guy!  LOL!  Lisa  :-]

Anonymous said...

I am so enjoying your story here and the pics.  

Anonymous said...

isnt it straange how it hits you out of the blue. Lori

Anonymous said...

I like your free-fall description. Again, thanks for the memories. LOL! ; )
Angela

Anonymous said...

It's so cool that you have all these pictures. So many of them! I can hardly wait for the next installment. :) Nelle

Anonymous said...

You know, he kind of looks like Glenn Frey did back in those days. Forgive my indiscretion in the last entry--you would have been my dream hippie chick.

Anonymous said...

More! More! More!
xoxo

Anonymous said...

wow...that description of falling in love...you've said it perfectly...
wow

Anonymous said...

I felt the same way about my pet goat Nancy, but then again, who doesn't.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I remember that feeling!  Deliriously happiness is a good word for it. Like you have no past and you did not care about the future. You just want to savor the sweet deliciousness of the present. Whew! Now, I need a cold shower! http://journals.aol.com/dcmeyer420/DearDiary/  

Anonymous said...

Real nice entry !

NJLB
http://journals.aol.com/njlittlebear/MyBigFatGeekLife

Anonymous said...

Love your journal....first time here and been reading different entries. The way you describe falling in love is the way I felt about the first boyfriend (later became my husband) and he is now my ex after 30 years of marriage~funny thing....I still look at him and feel the same feeling sweep over me.

Sharon
http:journals.aol.com/spurgins311/SLS

Anonymous said...

Very romantic!

Anonymous said...

Sounds serious!  What happened to John?  Do you still speak?

- John
http://journals.aol.com/jryle79/Kentucky

Anonymous said...

You are amazing.  

mwah!

xoxoxo

Anonymous said...

I have been catching up on your Journal. I must say that you have managed to shake a lot of cob webs out of my brain. Doors that had rusted shut have recently opened with a real loud grinding of those old hinges. Thanks, it is a great trip down my own memory lane as I read about yours. My best regards, Bill.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful

Anonymous said...

yes what a difference....-  i had my drive on i-40 too...->but its your time that i so enjoy reading and seeing

http://journals.aol.com/umashouse/lifetimesofasuburbanmisfit/  

Anonymous said...

A sweeping tenderness... what a beautiful way to describe it.  ::sigh::