Rollercoaster Love

Hello Lovers! I hope you had an excellent summer full of long walks on the beach and strolls through fields of white flowers. I, for one, am extremely excited to be joining the staff for another year of teaching all the young and impressionable Greenville students about the ins and outs of relationships. I was fortunate enough to spend my summer traveling along the paths of Italy with non-other than the world-renowned romance author, Nicholas Sparks. We had many insightful conversations that had a major influence on his new book, When Love Collides. That book should be hitting the shelves late January of 2010. As fascinated as I’m sure you are about my summer, I know the real reason why you have come to read this column and that is to receive some advice about love and relationships. So let’s get to it!

 

Dear Dr. Crews,

 

To end the summer with a bang, my boyfriend and I spent our last day together before returning to college at an amusement park. It was such a great time! At one point we both decided to go on this very big and very fast rollercoaster. It was such an experience! So joyful! What Ecstasy! I couldn’t help but think, “Is there some greater truth here about our relationship on this ride?” I have been wondering ever since. Please tell me!

 

Sincerely,

Sally Thomas, Rolling Hills Nebraska

 

Dear Sally,

 

You would not be the first to have deeply blissful experience and inquire about there being some larger truth at hand. To answer your question, yes! There are many things in life that can tell us about relationships. In fact, what you experienced was one of the most powerful. Rollercoasters and theme parks can tell us so much about relationships and dating. When I received your question, I immediately emailed my friend and colleague, Johannah Swank, because she just recently wrote a book entitled, Six Flags and Butterfly Kisses. Here is a list of analogies drawn from Ms. Swank’s book that may help shed some light about relationships for you:

 

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: You have to get on and hope you don’t throw up

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: Always eat a few burritos before you go

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: People cling to each other more out of fear than love

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: Sometimes you have to wait in a long line to do something that wasn’t really that fun

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: You get disoriented for all the twists and turns and have to pee when it’s over

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: Sometimes when you look back at the pictures after it’s over, all you see is middle fingers

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: Sometimes you are buckled in too tight

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: You have to be a certain height

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: It’s like taking that first dive under the bridge and you think you’re going to be decapitated

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: That soccer mom’s scream starts to make your ears bleed after awhile

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: There is a lot of body odor and sweaty palms

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: You should probably take off your hat and sunglasses

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: It gives your stomach thrills

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: I wonder if I left my hair curler on

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: It makes you want to kiss someone

·         Love is like a theme park: It costs a lot of money

·         Love is like a theme park: There is always one Amish family

·         Love is like a theme park: it’s busiest on summer nights

·         Love is like a theme park: When you dress up in a costume, you look like an idiot

·         Love is like a theme park: The worst is walking in wet sneakers

·         Dating is like a theme park: There are a lot of funny looking people out there

 

There you have it, Sally. I hope some of these analogies help you understand love and your relationship with your boyfriend a little better. Keep looking for these analogies and greater truths. They are everywhere in life.

 

Thanks for your great question! If you, the reader, or anyone else has questions concerning love and relationships feel free to email me, Dr. Crews, at 200806058@panthers.greenville.edu. Also, don’t forget to join the facebook group Love & Relations Relating to Relationships. In the meantime, get out there and go love someone!