If you're going to fall in love...
Try to fall in love with an artist. A girl who can stare for hours at one tree, and the way the wind rustles through its leaves, how the green twinkles and winks in the sunlight. A girl who pulls away from a kiss to scribble half-formed bursts of inspiration on the back of her hand, so as not to forget. A girl who listens to Mahler 2 alone in her room with her eyes closed, because it makes her feel bigger than life...who laughs while watching opera, cries while watching the sunrise, and has a continuous soundtrack of songs playing in her head.
Try to fall in love with a pragmatist. A girl with common sense and a good head on her shoulders. A girl who collects coupons, reads the news, and knows when to say no. A girl whose advice you seek and value, because she understands how to stay unbiased, walk in someone else's shoes, and glimpse the bigger picture. A girl who knows the value of money, education, family, and good health.
Try to fall in love with a nerd. A girl who has practically memorized Paradise Lost and reads poetry in her spare time, underlining favorite metaphors in pencil and dog-earing pages to share with family and friends and passersby...anyone willing to listen, basically. A girl who brings her chess board to camp, watches Ted Talks, finishes a New York Times crossword without so much as a furrowed brow, and bookmarks the Kenken website...who can always figure out how much each person owes at group dinners, plus tax, plus tip.
Try to fall in love with someone who really lives. A girl who will go skydiving, Rocky-Mountain climbing, 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu. A girl who has traveled five continents and whose dream is to see the Northern lights. A girl who lets out a huge burst of laughter in the middle of a silent room...who isn't afraid to sing in public, knows how to dance salsa and tango and bhangra, and loves to move her body.
Try to fall in love with someone who does the right thing. A girl who spends forty minutes waiting at the ATM machine, hoping the guy who forgot his debit card in the card slot will come back to claim it. A girl who drives the speed limit, stops at every stop sign, eats her daily fruits and veggies, and doesn't know the difference between marijuana and cocaine. A girl who says, "Sorry, I can't," because it's getting late, almost time to call Grandpa, and she really should study the next morning. A girl who bakes cookies and gives them to her bus drivers, mailman, and gardener; after all, they deserve it, and it may make their day.
If you're going to fall in love...
Fall in love with someone who loves you, someone who moves you. Fall in love with a girl who drives to your house because you were talking on the phone with her while at the wheel, and then the reception died, and then your phone ran out of battery, but she didn't know and thought there was the tiniest of chances that you might have gotten in a car crash. A girl who surprises you with your favorite homemade sandwich on random mornings, and who makes a list of funny things from her day that she wants to share with you...who tells you to take care and be good, who texts you at 1am to remind you, do you have a designated driver to take you home from the bar? Fall in love with a girl who has a dream...she pursues that dream and chases it through thickets and thorns and dark tunnels and seemingly impossible mazes...and watching her makes you jump up and start chasing your own dream. A girl who brings tears to your eyes when you see tears in her eyes. A girl whose smile makes you smile.
A girl who does to you what spring does to cherry blossoms.
If you're going to fall in love...
fall in love with someone you deserve, and someone who deserves you.
