The First Date

It is absolutely labyrinthine - at least I find it so - trying to capture the veritable torrent of thoughts, of feelings, of sensations associated with, and deriving from, that most transient of life experiences: the "first date" - it is completely abstruse. My poor attempt to understand it is akin to peeling back the diaphanous layers of the psychic onion only to find no tangible core of substance beneath, being left to divine meaning from the shredded scraps of countervailing emotions.

It is like trying to snatch smoke out of the air with your fingers. It is thrilling, it is baffling, it is terrifying, it is the feeling that comes at the last ratcheting of the chain that hauls the roller coaster up the lift hill - the deep breath before the plunge. It is a repeating phantasmagoria of affection, anxiety, elation, dread, and then affection again. It is a very potent brew of most of those things that make life worth living - it is habit forming and highly addictive; one should not operate heavy machinery while under its influence. In fact the best I can do to describe this "rush" is to characterize it as feeling ever so intensely alive. It has been a very long time - decades in fact - and I'm profoundly grateful to have experienced it fully for a second time.

"Nothing defines humans better than their willingness to do irrational things in the pursuit of phenomenally unlikely payoffs. This is the principle behind lotteries, religion, and dating."
~ Scott Adams

This date took place at the Museum of Modern Art on what turned out to be the most beautiful Saturday afternoon of the year, thus far. We strolled around taking in as much as we could, particularly enjoying the vast array of sculpture, and stayed until we were invited to leave at the museum's closing time. It was perfect - exploring a truly beautiful environment with a truly beautiful companion - an all you can eat smorgasbord for the senses. Afterwards, we wandered across town and found a cute little Mexican place in Hell's Kitchen for some dinner. The food was only OK, but the conversation was really nice. We got to know each other a little better, laughed a lot and made plans for future outings together. Hooray!