One day, someone, somewhere might walk into your life and change it forever, sending logic on a vacation and placing you on a train with no brakes. This life-changing moment might hit you in high school, at Uni, at age 26, or just past your 50th birthday–there is no magical number and no certainty that it will ever find you. If you are one of the ones who are lucky enough to experience this, that certain someone will leave you feeling Twitterpated, walking into trees, dealing with memory loss, and possibly updating your playlist to include Taylor Swift. There is no relief, no cure for this condition. A visit to the doctor’s office will not get you a prescription, as there is no known medication to treat a thing called “Zing”. Regardless of your age, race, gender or where you live, when it hits you… you’d better be prepared for the ride.
For some, Zing may smack you upside the head with just a single look from another while at the grocery store as you pick up ice from aisle 11. For others that special someone might not be found in your city, but rather, in an ocean resort or on a distant land. The trip that Zing begins can cause you to float down the Nile, to follow some Aussie to the UK, then to have that same Aussie follow you to the frozen wasteland of Canada. To you, the whole thing makes sense. To everyone else, however, thoughts and whispers occur that you need to see a professional for help
Is Love Spelt “ZING”?
Do you feel a small weight on your chest when you think of that special someone every time they talk, walk towards you, or go away? That weight might start out feeling like a small goat, but, in no time, it grows into a wooly mammoth. Symptoms of “Zing” include not eating, not sleeping, trouble breathing, and finding yourself talking to your special someone at 4 a.m. Every time your phone pings, your pulse increases, hoping beyond hope that it’s that special someone. More and more, you find yourself texting and laughing like a 15-year-old while still trying to function and act like the age that’s stamped on your driver’s license.
Love (Zing) comes at all levels, and countless artists have attempted to describe it. Alison Krauss’s song, “When You Say Nothing at All.” has a couple of lines that try to describe the connection:
You say it best when you say nothing at all……
…Old Mister Webster could never define
What’s being said between your heart and mine.
These feelings can also be described by the words in the song, “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS:
Don’t ask me
What you know is true
Don’t have to tell you
I love your precious heart
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never tear us apart
We could live
For a thousand years
But if I hurt you
I’d make wine from your tears
I told you
That we could fly
‘Cause we all have wings
But some of us don’t know why
The Runaway Train
What can you do when your feelings have gotten the best of you, and you’re caught in a snowball rolling down Whistler Blackcomb, on a black run with your goggles fogged? Do you call a bestie, open some wine, and pour out your heart? Or do you let your heart have its way and follow its lead?
In a book by Paulo Coelho called The Alchemist, he uses the word “Maktub,” which means, “it is written.” If we follow that logic, we are all on pre-determined paths, so fighting this feeling is futile, regardless of what you do. You could try stopping this train by waving a red flag at the conductor (the universe), but logically, that train is going to mow you down before it can possibly slow down.
The bottom line is, if you want to feel Zing in your life, you’re going to have to take some risks with your heart. Isn’t it better to feel Zing for a few days or a month than to never feel it at all? Your heart might take a beating, as the universe and Karma have a sick sense of humor. But, if you are lucky, you’ll find yourself happily dancing around the house in a T-shirt, vacuuming, and belting out “Wildest Dreams” by good old Swifty.
There is no denying the fact that love (Zing) is littered with risk. Over time, however, love (Zing) might lead to someone in the kitchen making you waffles, eggs benny or adding that black tar called vegemite to some toast. They will put up with your cat, enjoy walking your dog, and love your friends as well as your crazy family.
If the stars align, someday you might find yourself in a nice dress, wearing lipstick and making memories. The last thing you want is to be kicking yourself, wondering … What if?
