"The Last Dragon"

I love my wife.

Although it took some time, quite a bit of growth (on my part of course), & a sprinkle of Divine intervention (okay, more like a drenching downpour), I realize now that in order to digest the harsh realities of a cruel world, it's imperative that I have a strong, black (African American I mean..) woman standing next to me. Not biased, just personal preference.

Next to me, as opposed to behind, unless I'm protectin' her from things that go bump in the night, terrorists, or jumping spiders. Plus, God made Eve from a rib, a supportive structure bone from Adam's side. He could've used a vertebrae, but He opted otherwise.

If I were easily influenced, rap music, bitter friends, & endless hours of watching "The Maury Povich Show" would have me under the impression that "love" is just a myth. Especially Black love. Contagious urban legend that's been recounted to generations throughout the ages. Unattainable to mortal man. None of which is remotely close to actuality.

Don't let the national divorce rate fool you. They're just propaganda.

Love is equally as tangible & powerful as hate, as the two undoubtedly intersect at some point. Sort of like third cousins. If you continue tracing the bloodlines, you'll find the connection eventually.

It's most powerful enemy is Lust, the device to which our primal insticts are attuned to. Lust knows no sense of humor, nor does it recognize the "good" in people. It only knows animalistic behavior & mating rituals. Not particularly the foundation one should lay (no pun intended) for a long term partnership.

& while Lust can indeed induce profuse sweatin', elevated heart rates & heavy breathin', Love is in reality the more laboring of the pair. Lust is a job, Love is a career, if you understand the difference between the two.

Take the movie "The Last Dragon" for example. Bruce Leroy had to tolerate endless hardship, which he willingly traversed, because he realized the spoils of his fleeting reward would be worth the travel. That's dedication. All the tumult he endured made the moment he had been searchin' for that much more gratifying (the "glow", remember?). & when he kicked Sho-Nuff's ass in that warehouse, you couldn't tell him nothin'! Word to Kanye West.

In a nutshell, that's love. A fight with yourself (control), for your self (satisfaction). Many never find it, but c'mon, when have you ever located an object having no idea what it looked like?

"Yo, can you help me find my keys, man?"

"What do they look like?"

Good question.

If that epiphany could be experienced in our teenage years, how sweet would life be? Granted, more than half of us (me included) wouldn't have some of the beautiful children we were blessed with, but that aspect is surely debatable. Others wouldn't have some of the horrible diseases we were cursed with (DEFINITELY NOT me included, thank God), but like my Dad says, "hindsight is 20/20". It would make for a much more comfortable commute to the end of our respective roads.

I'm teachin' my kids this crap ahead of time. I advise you do the same.

In digression, I love my wife. No major follow up statement or witty, tongue-in-cheek quip, I just like saying it aloud.