Sunday Scribbling - "Kissing"

Kissing can mean so many different things to different people but most associate it with love and affection. When I thought about kissing my first thought was of my husband and then my grandson. I felt I needed to mention a few other forms of kissing before I get to the fun kinds. There is the "kiss of life" otherwise known as mouth to mouth resuscitation which saves lives. "Kiss off" a not so romantic term and even worse, the "kiss of death" which in the mafia is fatal. There is also the "kiss of peace" signifying unity in the Christian church. Luckily I have only been told to "kiss off" from this list but a "kiss of peace" would be cool.

Watching my grandson kiss me with his mouth wide open is so sweet and pure slobber bliss! It’s a reminder that we learn to kiss and show affection as we grow. Mom and dad’s constant kissing of every soft precious fold, grandma and grandpa’s neck kisses that make you squish your body into a ball of giggles, to our sibling giving us raspberries on our tummies to make us squeal. They are our first kisses of love and adoration.

Kissing during our younger years is very different but at least we have learned to close our mouths by now and pucker. Opening our mouth comes back later, but I digress. Mom still kisses us when she can catch us but everyone else seems to hold back a tad, some more than others. My dad and grandpa were more reserved as I grew up, but that was back in the olden days. Siblings and some relatives have been know to have cooties, so we got more selective as we grew older unless otherwise ordered. I really disliked being made to kiss anyone as a child and never made mine do it. A hug was very different than a kiss and less gross for a kid. My parents stopped kissing each other and us at some point in my childhood, but I noticed it was not as unusual as you would have thought back then.

Kissing as an adult did not come as easily to me unless it was a passionate kiss with a man. I had that down pretty darn good with lots of practice in high school. I was a popular cheerleader with lots of dates and that was called a tease in my day unless you put out. Kissing and hugging any female other than my grandma took a concerted effort. I even toned down affection with my own girls as they hit puberty. "When you know better you do better" and I taught myself to break the cycle. It’s still a work in progress but I’m enjoying learning to express affection, especially to women I love.

Kissing Dave is a gift I treasure because the muscles in my lips and tongue are dying. Over salivation is a hindrance but I’ve learned some tricks ;) I want to savor every single kiss. If he catches me off guard my kisses are not very good but those are my personal favorites. It’s the emotion behind the kiss that matters so that if it is taken away the emotion is still very much alive. I don’t say "I love you" everyday to Dave because he knows. When I do say it to him it packs a punch! The same with my kids. Kissing and words are powerful expressions of love but I wanted to say we can show love in just a look. Try it, give that special person in your life a look that is full of all your love and do it when they don’t expect it and are not distracted. Watch their face as you kiss them with your eye’s ;)