Observations, and One Guy's Point of View posted 1/26/2009 10:42:05 PM | 3 kudos what's this?     report abuse tagged: relationship, affection, pda

EquuisdancerDbndon

Okay ladies and gentlemen, gals and guys, boys and girls, there’ve been a couple interesting observations that may be worth reporting.

Picture, if you will, a rather tall retired couple constantly meandering around together throughout all of the average things normal people do for these past many months. In my side on the state, we’ve been Christmas shopping at (a few!) busy stores together, food shopping, visited a senior’s rehab center a few times, a number of restaurants, and countless other places. We’ve also visited many of the tourist sights -- including the Arab area of Dearborn, Michigan, where I once lived. This means, hundreds of people have seen us together; many people have seen us a number of times.

Now . . . in all fairness, I should probably mention that a good part of my training was to tune into (pay attention to) the response of people around me. Part of that training was as a street cop in my early days. But, the most interesting part was my training as a research physiologist and psychologist in college. By this, I mean that nowadays I just naturally pay attention to the folks around me on many levels, even though I have no real reason to do so anymore. And, because of the psychobabble training in my early days, and years of medical experience later, I can sometimes have a good handle on “reading” the personal feelings of some people, even when they are strangers. Enough said there. Even though I may not have “normal” vision, I am a rather good observer.

This brings us to the rather humorous reason for writing this blog:

One of the many interesting attributes Dancer and I have in common is that we can both be rather affectionate. And, neither of us is afraid to show some affection for the other while out in public. By that, I don’t mean mushy stuff and creating a spectacle in public. No one has said “get a room,” yet – even though Dancer has a habit of sometimes standing behind me, when no one is watching, and grabbing my butt. (Elevators seen to be a semi-private novelty to her, too!)

Anyway, there is absolutely no way even the most casual observer would NOT guess that we are together and enjoying each other’s company.

Nope, there’s no obvious hugging and kissing while in public. Actually, nothing happens that we would not do in front of our parents -- who are most definitely not libertines! We somewhat act our age, in other words. We try to maintain a bit of decorum. We do not violate the common mores of our rather conservative neighborhoods. Yet, anyone observing us, even for a moment, “knows” that we are great friends, good companions and guesses that we may probably be a lot more.

You would, too. Because, the interesting point I wish to relate here is that fact seems to radiate to others. Certainly to the women around, but even to many men casually observing us.

For instance, we hold hands a lot. Sometimes in stores, usually in parking lots and anyplace we happen to be walking. Often, it’s not conscious, it just happens because that’s how we are. One time I watched a woman near our age poke her husband(?) to look at us while we were in a large parking lot on a snowy night. I thought he might laugh, but he didn’t. The guy actually took her hand. Cool, I thought as the lady smiled!

If there’s a point here -- and there should be, I think -- it is that people have been noticing how we, a “grandparent looking couple,” interact with each other while out in public. Just tonight, an “older” woman smiled broadly simply because Dancer and I walked through the parking lot and into a major food store while holding hands. While inside, we often shop fast. But, we usually seem to be talking and joking around and others notice because they usually seem to be overly serious and too busy for interaction with others. When we stop, we are often touching somehow -- shoulders, hands or whatever and, of course, talking (and maybe laughing) in a very friendly sort of way.

Here, in the elevator up to my seventh floor, some of the women have heard our friendly banter ongoing. One started laughing and said that we sounded just like an old married couple. The reason she was laughing was what she did not say: An old married couple that is very much in love and enjoying every damn minute they have together -- even if it happens to sound a little like an argument to others sometimes. We were teasing, is all.

Some say that laughing is contagious and I’m sure that can be true. But, I also believe that some public display of affection can also be a bit contagious from time to time.

As I implied above, no one has ever seen us kiss, or display any type of unacceptable behavior in public. Yet, everyone who has noticed us for more than a second these past many months has seen an element of affection they deem acceptable. And, I have personally noticed many women smiling while watching us -- and even a few guys seeming to maybe wonder how stuff like that could work out in their lives.

As for me, I like to see the old gals smiling. Dancer and I will be acting like “us” for a long time to come and I’ll be enjoying the response of the onlookers for as long as I can see them.

Dancer would have me joking around some about this observation and I’m sure there could be many humorous aspects to it. However, in my alleged mind, I find it quite interesting as related. Nonetheless, she may comment. . . .


~ DbnDon -- with no input from the distaff set who is busy writing something else on another computer.

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Blogs by EquuisdancerDbndon: Happy Memorial Day? Dancers’ Add-on to Dbn’s Blog yesterday Just Us The First Date is Over… The world's Best First Date Dancer takes Don Home to the Country Does Affection Stop With Age? A day in our life -- thinking Valentines What a Ride! Romp in the Hay or LTR? How Many Rounds? An Interesting Experience Adapting! PART 2 Observations, and One Guy's Point of View Another New Experience A Trip to the Long Lost Past An Interesting Experience Adapting? Winter Fun And then the fight started... Love, or Anti-Love, Drug He said, She said . . . Stumbling Along on this Trip Called Life What is Love?