A spirit of thankfulness came over me. “Thank you, God, for this fresh air!” Then I passed skunk road-kill that putrefied things a bit. Ah, such is life…it’s complicated. But that odor didn’t last long. Unpleasant things always pass. They always do. I waited it out, and sure enough I was embraced by fresh air once more. In that moment I could actually hear myself think—and all I wanted to do was thank God for that 5-minute vacation. Prayers impart strength. Mini vacations, sanity.
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It’s not easy for me to ask for help when needed. Equally so, it’s not easy for me to accept help when offered. These past ten days have produced scary moments between my son’s extended illness and my husband’s surgery and complications thereof. I’ve run on fumes. Even those fumes were dissipating fast. I couldn’t think beyond my dominating heart that seemed to pound right out of my chest.
I held a silent prayer in that beating heart. God heard. Two hours later, some dear friends insisted on stepping in so I could have a break. “Please, let us do this,” they offered. As I started to decline, I felt a divine nudge that said, “Now, now, you asked me and I’ve provided. You’d better say yes.” I did. In fact, I broke down and cried with a heart full of gratitude, rested, and got refueled, ready for anything. Today hasn’t provided much change from yesterday in circumstances, yet my spirit is renewed—thanks to dear ones who answered my private prayer, vessels of a miracle moment. Often, romance (genre) is considered “escapist” literature. Nonetheless, what I love about it—besides relating to the emotional arcs (I’m a naturally emotive creature, after all)—are the happily ever after’s.
Daily life doesn’t always grant us those positive outcomes. Romance novels have the potential to instill hope that, yes!—something good could still come from this, my own, very real and complex situation. Or if it’s already good, help keep it alive. Why not? As a writer, if one can create a positively influential scenario in her/his mind, then it’s possible to reenact the scene in reality. As a reader, if one can glean novel inspiration for conduct with a partner, then escapism transforms to realism. We could all use more happy endings, right? All hail Romance in all its variations! Experiencing a midweek slump? This might enliven things a bit. Isn’t love in and of itself irrational? Come to think of it, so is faith. Love is blind, as is faith. One can use their mind in matters of love, but if you overanalyze anything it dilutes passion and kills spontaneity—the spices of life. Existence challenges us to think with a certain amount of wisdom and to be guarded at times. However, without a sense of abandonment (giving in to emotion) we’ll never know potential. Romance isn’t romance without throwing yourself into the unknown amid a sense of adventure. Love isn’t love without embracing an individual under unconditional (and quite possibly, unlikely) expressions. Faith isn’t faith without following while not seeing what’s in front of you. I’m in love with the concept of love. To be irrational is to be human, not perfect.
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TESSA STOCKTON, AUTHOR -
Pressing through life, love, a few things that matter, and a lot of things that don't.
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