“I’m here not because I am supposed to be here or because I’m trapped here, but because I’d rather be with you than anywhere else in the world.”
With Valentine’s Day just a couple days away, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight the quote above from Richard Bach, author of The Bridge Across Forever
. He is an American writer and while several of his works are philosophical in nature, he can get a little mushy too. Bach also claims to be a direct descendant of the famous German composer with whom he shares his surname.
Yes, it is absolutely true that Valentine’s Day has likely gotten far too commercial for its own good, giving the opportunity for the industry to capitalize with expensive flowers, chocolates, and jewelry. At the same time, we should all take a moment to reflect on the most important relationships in our lives and cherish them accordingly.
Maybe this has to do with a new perspective from getting married and all, but I completely agree with Bach’s quote above. Some people will tell you that marriage is like a prison, shackling and restraining your freedom. Quite the contrary. Instead, it solidifies the choice I made, of my own free will, when I uttered those important two words: “I do.”
Marriage isn’t for everyone and I can appreciate that. To many people, it’s a formality that bears little meaning. That said, I think we can all agree that love is for everyone and we all need to cherish the special relationships we have in our lives. With our significant others, our friends, our family… For without love, what are we?
I have always felt that all of the holidays have been hijacked by the businesses to make money.
There are holidays that we should look at and take them as they are, with the meaning and feeling that belong to them. A perfect example is Easter, which isn’t a holiday for a big bunny rabbit to leave eggs and chocolate.
When I read The Bridge Across Forever, I thought it by far the most personal, honest and insightful book Richard Bach (written with his wife, Leslie Parrish) ever penned. In it he spoke of how they were soulmates who could not fully function without one another. Yet apparently he found a way to do so. Bach divorced Leslie and went on to marry a much younger woman. I’ve no idea if he deems HER his “soulmate” too, or even if they are still together. Leslie, possessed of sterling character and ever the lady, is not talking, preferring not to air such personal matters in public. Makes you wonder if Bach meant all that stuff he said in the book, and that query leads you to wonder if he ever meant ANY of those wonderfully insightful and aware things he’s written over the years.