Song 13--Baby, It's Cold Outside

"Baby, It's Cold Outside"
Words

I really enjoy this song.  I don't know whether I should or not, but I do.  Maybe because my daughter did a beautiful dance to this song one Christmas.  Maybe because it's in the move "Elf".  Maybe because I find it fun and kind of witty and charming.  So why do I sometimes feel strange liking it?

I'm saddened by the change in values we have.  The song speaks of a time where people watched out for each other.  Where you were careful about what you did because people might talk.  Those things that were avoided back then are now posted as videos on the Internet.  I'm not saying those things never happened.  They did.  They were hidden and kept under wraps, which I'm not sure was any better.  But it feels like we have lost a sense of shame, embarrassment, privacy, and self-respect.  I am not perfect.  There are times when I find myself telling myself, "it's not going to hurt anyone else," "I have a right to be happy," "it's okay if no-one finds out," etc.  I forget that I am intimitely connected to others and that anything I do, right or wrong, effects other people. 

Another short lesson I have learned that this song reminds me of is to watch the little things.  Watch who I am with, when I am with them, where I am with them, how I am feeling, why am I there, etc.  If I keep running into walls, why should I complain when I get hurt?  If I put myself into situations where I am going to do something wrong, how can I then point the finger of blame at someone else.  My responsiblity starts in my thoughts and in the situations I put myself in, not just with my direct actions.

But alas--I still like this song.  It speaks to me of the fun I have with my wife.  The nuanced looks and surprise touches.  The flirting and the hand-holding.  The potential energy combined with a catalyst becoming kinetic energy.  The feeling is somewhat undescribable. The feeling of having fun, loving and being loved with someone who will never leave me.  Of someone who has my best interests in her heart.  Together we serve, play, joke, travel, etc.  Face it, not only do I love my wife, I genuinely enjoy my wife and being with her. I am honored and thrilled to spend another Christmas with her.  May it be cold outside.