what's love got to do with it?

Get it, Tina.

This is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. The first concert I ever went to was Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper. Cyndi proved to me at a young age that girls really do JUST want to have fun: She had bright purple hair and was rocking out in front of an audience of thousands in stilettos and a 7-months pregnant belly. She was awesome. But Tina Turner changed my life that night. I remember the bass beating so hard in my chest that it almost hurt. I kept putting my hand over my heart and feeling the rhythmic thuds as I watched my dad and the rest of my family dance to "Rolling on the River" out of the corner of my eye. I can't listen to her music without recalling vivid memories of that night. I remember playing in the sand on Long Beach waiting for what seemed like hours to be let into the stadium. I remember wanting a $20 program so badly and being refused it all the way to our seats. I remember that feeling in my chest so vividly that if I put my hand to my chest once more at the age of 22, I could probably feel the beat of "Private Dancer."

I guess I've got my own personal love dilemma going on right now. I'm transitioning from the high-school, idealistic, romantic version of love to a world where being madly in love with someone isn't always good enough. There are so many more pieces to the puzzle. You're worried about bills, future financial security, kids, religious beliefs, political affiliation... It's all so confusing. And, it's hard to know if you making the right decisions about who to be with, and who to leave behind.

I guess the best part is we don't have to figure out everything RIGHT NOW. I've always been one of those people who wants to fix a problem as soon as it comes up. I can't sleep on an unresolved argument. I want to know that everything is going exactly as planned. I hate trying to figure it all out. These "big adult problems" can't be resolved overnight. But, sometimes, figuring it out is the best part. In the words of my eternally-missed grandpa, "what's meant to be will be."