Paradise Lost?

 Is it possible to love a place as much as you love a person?

I ask because I’ve been dating paradise for 20+ years now.  I was first introduced to her by some good friends.  From our first encounter I was drawn to her beauty and warmth.  She had a welcoming embrace and was always willing to share herself with us.  Over the years we have collected countless memories for me and my family.

A few years ago I began chronicling some of those memories of my time with paradise on this blog.  I was just looking back at some of those previous post about a month ago.  I thought I should convert them to a hard cover book for a keepsake item to those who have shared paradise with me over the years.  Don’t get me wrong this is not the last chapter by any means but maybe just my first edition.

Our relationship has always been somewhat of a long distance one.  I check in on her from time to time and try to get down to see her at least once a year.  While she has many lovers she never fails to welcome us back so we can build more memories together.

She’s been hurt by men before, “Charlie” tried to break her spirit back in 2004.  She proved back then that her resilience and spirit was stronger than nature itself.

She’s hurting now, battered and bruised again by another man, this one named “Ian” and over the past few days I have been feeling down and wondering if she is ok?

It’s like the feeling you have when you have a friend that’s struggling through a rough time.  You want to help, you want to be there but it’s just not possible.  You keep checking in, praying for recovery and healing.  I wonder how paradise feels right now?

I asked the question.  Is it possible to love a place as much as a person?  A comment my granddaughter made the other day helped me find the answer to this question.  She has known paradise since she was a baby.  When the wrath of Ian came knocking on paradise’s door she (granddaughter) said she felt like she was watching her childhood memories being washed away.

I of course was overwhelmed with emotion when I heard this because I knew at that moment she loved paradise too!  More importantly the memories that paradise allowed us to share.

So for all of you that may be feeling a little like paradise is lost at the moment remember those memories that made you fall in love with her in the first place.  While none of us will be here forever the memories we pass down can.  Given time to recover and heal she’ll welcome us back again.

Comments

Shelllady said…
Such a wonderful and heartfelt post!…and so accurate! Hubby and I feel in love with her almost 25 years ago on our honeymoon! We plan on being as close as possible in a week or so to celebrate our silver! I will try to post to update as she build up to be strong again! I’m hoping to help while I’m there!
November 1, 2022 at 8:07 AM
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