True Love Does Not Hurt.

I have always loved grocery shopping.

It is one of those things that hasn’t changed about me in all these years.

There is something very pleasant and personal about the experience.

You’re out with your family, there’s a list of things to buy, new stuff you find on the aisles that you promise each other you will try out and, that one elusive item which no matter how hard you try to remember, you always forget to purchase.

Grocery stores are also  undoubtedly, a treasure trove of inside jokes.It's by far the commonest place on earth to see small and large families alike laugh out loud for things that only they can understand.

When I tell people that number 3 on my list of favorite experiences from a recent visit to the United States was shopping at Wegmans, they usually respond in one way, and one way only.

GET OUTTA HERE!!!

I’m not kidding, I absolutely love shopping for grocery with my family.

While it was only a tiny little incident, a few months ago I learnt an important lesson about love at a Wegmans in New York.

I was as usual in the cereal aisle, my favorite place in any grocery store trying to decide if I was bringing home frosted flakes or corn pops.

An elderly couple beside me were picking up some stuff for their home.

"We need oranges." The husband said.

"Why don’t you stay here, I’ll go over there and bring it". He told his wife as he slowly started walking to the other end of the store.

The Corn pops were winning the battle against the sugary frosted flakes.

A few minutes went by and I noticed that the woman next to me was starting to get anxious.

Her husband was taking his time to return.

She picked up her phone and tried to call him.

I noticed that she was having a little trouble unlocking her smartphone, and I was glad to help her out.

"Can you please call Phil"? She asked me politely.

I happily agreed and I found his number easily enough.

He didn’t answer the call.

She took the phone from my hands and left her cart right there, walking in the same direction her husband had taken earlier.

The anxiety on her face was obvious, and it seemed to grow with each passing second.

It was a little unnerving for me as well.

That’s when we saw Phil walking towards us with a bunch of oranges and like magic, all the anxiety on her face faded as soon as she saw him.

I waited to see what would happen when they met, and to give them their space I slipped into the aisle with the potato chips, another family favorite :-)

She fit into Phil's arms comfortably, like a hand in a glove and he gently kissed her on the forehead.

No words were exchanged but I could see that Phil knew exactly how his wife felt just moments ago when she couldn’t see him

Liam Neeson is one of my favorite actors of all time.

To me, he is like the Amitabh Bachchan of Hollywood. When either of them holds a gun on screen, you know they mean business.

My tryst with Mr. Neeson started  with 'Batman Begins', but I didn't realize it was him playing Ra's al Ghul till I watched the first 'Taken' movie and went back to read about him.

Then I saw 'Schindlers list', and that was all I needed to appreciate the versatility of this incredible actor.

No one expects an actor with his talent, looks and voice to be part of one of Hollywood's most successful marriages.

But that’s the truth.

Liam was married to Natasha Richardson for 15 years till her unfortunate passing in a skiing accident back in 2009.

I read somewhere recently that Liam gave up a chance to play James Bond because Natasha wasn’t too happy about him taking on the role. 

My respect for him only grew after that, you don’t make sacrifices for people unless your love for them is real.

It however didn’t occur to me that eventually Mr.Neeson would say something about love that would make me stop doing whatever I was up to right then and just want to stand up and salute the man.

Get ready to have your minds blown.

Don't these words make sense?

Every now and then I hear people say things such as ‘you know it was true love, because it hurt when it was over’ or ‘I love you so much it hurts’ etc. etc.

But the more I think of it, I realize, its not the love that causes the pain, it’s everything else. The rejection, the loneliness, the loss, the envy, those are the things that cause people hurt. Not love, love doesn’t do that.

When I think of Phil and his wife, I am reminded of someone whose face lit up when she saw the love of her life. In his absence, even if it was for just a few minutes, she felt terrible and anxious, but all of that just went away when he returned. 

The only explanation I could arrive at was that Phil made her feel special, probably because he understood her better than anyone else on the surface of the earth, which was evident from the look on his face when he held her.

This valentines day, if you happen to be with someone who makes you feel rejected, unwanted, or insecure, you better run for your life. That is not love, no matter how much you try convincing yourself otherwise.

But instead if you have someone around who makes you feel safe, special, important and valued, what are you waiting for? 

JUST GO FOR IT.

Love like that doesn't come along very often.

To those of you who are still in pursuit of that special someone, if you are looking for some kind of guidance to help you understand if what you feel is love, I'm sure these words by St Paul will help.

Until next time

TGV