One of the very first gifts I ever received from Dan was a stick. Yes. A stick. No joke. You see sometimes it doesn’t take a lot of money, or bling to swoon a girl’s heart, sometimes it takes wit and timing.
Have you ever heard of Birds of Paradise? Those birds are fucking awesome and if you haven’t heard of them Google them- they are the most colorful and most extravagant looking birds on the planet. But that isn’t why they fascinate me. Since these birds live in paradise with all the food and resources available to them, and since they don’t have to worry about being eaten by big scary animals, they have evolved mating rituals that make other species look like Neanderthals. These birds spend most of their days practicing their mating dances and I have to say, they are bizarre and strangely fascinating. These guys put in a lot of effort to swoon a female. If the guy didn’t have a lot of pizzazz in the looks or dancing area, they made up for it in their engineering capabilities by building their future mates a nesting structure that compared to the Empire State Building. No exaggeration. Weeks of finding the perfect materials- sticks, leaves, mud, and weeks building these amazing structures. If the female was impressed with the his stick structure she mated with him- way to go male Bird of Paradise! If she wasn’t impressed, she flew off to find something more interesting- way not to settle female Bird of Paradise!
When Dan and I first met, there were sparks, laughter and lots of chemistry. Before he and I became an item,. one of my favorite past times was either walking or running in the Bosque (a beautiful forest next to the Rio Grande with lots of trails and breath taking views). Since we had just met, I thought it would be nice to invite him for a walk on one of my favorite trails on the Bosque. As we were walking and talking I told him the above story of the Birds of Paradise. I think he could tell I was a bit passionate about these birds and their unusual mating rituals- because without skipping a beat, he picks up a stick, quickly examines it and hands it to me. 🙂
Let’s just say that there was something romantic about that moment. That little stick sent the message loud and clear. “I’m interested in being your mate.” “Let’s be crazy and adventurous like those birds.” Mostly, I appreciated that he listened to me. He just didn’t listen to the story about Birds, he listened to how I told it, to what I was also desiring in my heart- a mate that gets me, that understands my quirks and passions.
Let’s also just say that that little gesture did impress me- as we locked lips and enjoyed the beginning of many, many other kissing rituals.
roxyjaecks 