When It’s Love

People make a big deal about love. And this is generally a good thing.

In the video below, Van Halen asks the question, “How do I know when it’s love?” and Sammy Hagar answers that he can’t say, but that it lasts forever. Then Eddie plays one of his most understated (and one of my favorite) guitar solos. Later, Sammy (who, incidentally, is wearing yellow stretch pants) goes on to elaborate that it’s something you feel together and that, when it happens, “nothing’s missing.” It’s actually a really good performance, so you should check it out.

Though fans will forever be divided as to which flavor of Van Halen rocks more (Hagar or Roth), most people (except J Geils fans, who will tell you it stinks) will say that love rocks more than just about anything.

I have a beautiful girlfriend named Noriko. I love her very much - way more than I ever loved Van Halen. There are a lot of ways I could answer the question of how I know it’s love, but this time, I’m going to let the pictorial evidence speak for itself.

This is how I know it's love.

Today is my 32nd birthday. I’ve had a cold all week, and I had to work today. I came home tired and feeling like shit. This was the first thing I saw when I came inside. A six pack of “The Master” sitting on the kitchen counter. Though you can’t tell from the picture, two cans have been removed from the box and placed in the fridge for my refreshment.

As if that weren’t enough to turn my frown upside-down, when I opened the freezer, I saw this:

Freezer full of Jumbo

That’s right. A stack of Jumbos. Proof positive that Noriko loves me.

Now maybe this is a small thing. Actually, yeah, it is a small thing. But the small things are what makes life what it is. Maybe it’s the big things that make life meaningful and exciting, but it’s the small things that comprise the other 90% of what we see and do. When the small things add up, they turn out to be pretty damn big.

There are a lot of small things I love about Noriko. Some big things too. We’ll be getting married in two days, so it’s pretty exciting around here lately.

And I think I can do better than Sammy Hagar (certainly with regards to my choice of pants) when it comes to the question of knowing when it’s love. You’ll know when you don’t have to ask anymore. It’ll be right there for everyone to see - on the kitchen counter, in the freezer, everywhere.

Simply put, you’ll know.