I’ve always had a certain . . . eye for physical beauty.

You might call it a weakness, though it was certainly more so in my youth than it is now.

In love – I thought I was in love! My first crush was a girl on my street named Samantha Runyon, and I remember as far back as the age of five, when I vowed time and again that I would marry her.

Time has a way of making us look silly, am I right?

I see her around on Facebook now and again, interacting with some of the friends we had in common – ancient ties, long worn by disuse, but still out there and visible; I find that she’s not nearly as attractive anymore. She’s not bad-looking, but not anything to fuss about, either. My standards have shifted over time, along with an enhanced understanding of how so-called “love” so often laid me low in my formative years: I’d misinterpreted the situation.

Now I get it: that I’m a strongly creative person, and as such I have these intense triggers to physical beauty – not just in people, but in anything that can be seen. Like anything else, its effect dulls over time . . . or perhaps it’s merely under control, because sometimes an unexpected sight can fly in under my radar, eliciting a strong emotional reaction.

Now I am blessed with no less than two beautiful females in my life – my wife and daughter – who have to put up with goofy old me and my odd foibles, and I do my best to show my gratitude.

I’ve always considered Valentines’ to be a commercial holiday like any other, but sometimes life gets so crazy that it takes a special day to remind us why we fight, come hell.

To all my friends and readers out there, I wish you all the best, today and every day.

Now go live your adventure.

This post was prompted by today’s Daily Post prompt.

A whopping 133 other crushers have weighed in:

1. A journey begins..proud eagle.. | The Wandering Poet
2. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love | Basically      Beyond Basic
3. Happy Valentine’s day | Perspectives on life,      universe and everything
4. Two of us | Perspectives on life, universe and      everything
5. We are Entangled: We are Smitten « psychologistmimi
6. Dimples And Dreadlocks; A Story of First Love | The      Jittery Goat
7. A Second Chance – A Friday Flash Story | My Little      Avalon
8. Valentine’s Broken Song – a poem woven with tears |      alienorajt
9. Kindergarden Crushed | Finale to an Entrance
10. Watching Love Unfold | The Silver Leaf Journal
11. DP Daily Prompt: It’s Feb. 14 Friday, I’m In Love! |      Sabethville
12. It’s Valentines Day and I’m Not In Love – Musings |      wangsgard.com
13. Yet Another Valentine’s Daily Prompt: It’s Friday,      I’m in Love | tnkerr-Writing Prompts and Practice
14. Crushed | Kate Murray
15. A Weird Confession | WanderLust
16. Worst Valentine’s Day Ever | Sunday Epidemic
17. Bad Boy (My First Love) | That One Nerdy Chick
18. Smith Island Cake | Exploratorius
19. The Anonymous Valentine’s Postal Service |      thoughtsofrkh
20. i do whatever i like whoever i want | yi-ching lin      photography
21. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love « Mama Bear      Musings
22. whatever i like | y
23. If Someone Wrote A Song For Me On St Valentine’s Day      I Would Be Ecstatic… | Steve Says….
24. Daily Prompt: Smitten « Vicariously Poetic
25. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday (Saturday, Sunday, Monday      . . .) I’m in Love | No Apologies
26. Rooted in Love with Shoelaces of Grace Prayers and      Promises
27. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love | DukkSheit      Happens……….
28. Daily Prompt: It’s friday, I’m in Love- Analyzed by      a medical student | Journeyman
29. My first crush | Knowledge Addiction
30. My Valentine’s story. | The scribbles in the margin
31. Romance Haiku | Laith’s Ramblings
32. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday I’m In Love | snippets and      words
33. Falling in love…Daily Prompt | alienorajt
34. Snapshot | Musings from a practical mystic
35. First      Love | Lisa’s Kansa Muse
36. It’s Friday, I’m in love. First love. | The      Shevster’s Space
37. Memories of 16 and Pinky Swears « Dancing with      Fireflies
38. 16      « Dancing with Fireflies
39. Do you have a moment? | FILMS | FOOD | POETRY
40. Daily Prompt: SMITTEN | my father’s garden
41. against the grain/instead of the prompt |      peacefulblessedstar
42. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love | growinolder
43. My First, Hopefully Only, Love. | Thoughts On Love
44. Valentine’s Day Runaway | Tish Farrell
45. Midnight Dawn | The Silver Leaf Journal
46. The Ideal Lover | An Upturned Soul
47. Children Without TV #13 Snowboarding | The Vibrant      Channeled Creator
48. Don’t Just Love on Fridays | Random Blotches
49. Love is Here, Actually | Travel with Intent
50. I could have loved a bird | Color me in Cyanide and      Cherry
51. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love | A Room of      One’s Own
52. Happy Valentine’s Day! | The-Priefy’s Blog
53. It’s Friday, I’m in Love | Cookie the Smelly Beagle      🙂
54. The Silent Musing | Living in the Moment
55. My Travel Crush in the Deep South: New Orleans! |      Institute for Hispanic Health Equity
56. Daily prompt: Smitten/100 Posts Published | Wordz on      a Page
57. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love | Chronicles      of an Anglo Swiss
58. That 3 Year Old Crush | readingwithafeather
59. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love | a Portia      Adams adventure
60. The Smitten Kitten | L5GN
61. rhapsodiesofmymind
62. It’s Not You, It’s Me | Into the Heart of Me
63. Ok, I’ll Eat the Chocolate. But Not Because You Tell      Me To. | The Playground
64. My Author-itis
65. One Love | My Author-itis
66. FIRST TIME, I FELL IN LOVE AT 6. AND THEN AT 6:30. |      Standing Ovation, Seated
67. The Bluebird-Daily post: It’s Friday,I’m in Love |      Let me tell U a story
68. Remember Me | FILMS | FOOD | POETRY
69. Lust not love | Emotional Fitness
70. How can I ever forget u! oh my ❤ | harinivasudev
71. Smitten | Views Splash!
72. Off to the Ball! | Haiku By Ku
73. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love « The      Neophyte Photographer
74. I’m in Love, Introvert Style | 61 Musings
75. Neighborhood “Drama” and Facebook
76. A Message to the Lonely: Looking for Love in All the      Wrong Places | The Christian Gazette
77. Not Into Valentine’s Day? | Cee’s Photography
78. Smitten By You | The Lonely Husband
79. Of Heroes, Love and Dragons | The Nameless One
80. Happy Valentine’s Day Y’all!!! and the Daily | The      Shotgun Girls
81. To You, My Love | Serene Delusions
82. Imaginary Loves | Sarah’s Typos
83. First Impressions | The Zombies Ate My Brains
84. That’s when I knew | snapshotsofawanderingheart
85. What’s Luv Got to Do With It? / Daily prompt | I’m a      Writer, Yes I Am
86. My first crush? | Read * Feel * Write
87. Requited | Active Army Wife
88. Everybody wants to be in love | sunny side dreamers
89. A List Of Our WordPress Collaborative Internet      Team’s WordPress And Dot Com Websites Under Development In February 2014 |      undecided for WordPressicollaboration
90. Red with pleasure, hot with passion…and friend-zoned      | sayanything
91. Daily Prompt: Being in Love! | All Things Cute and      Beautiful
92. Crush Crush Crush | Sam’s Online Journal
93. A List Of Our WordPress iCollaborative Internet      Team’s WordPress And Dot Com Websites Under Development In February 2014 |      Ten Days of Progress Using Intuitive Collaboration
94. My First Crush | Flowers and Breezes
95. Attaining the intangible | Unlocking The Inner      Creative
96. Daily Prompt: Smitten | Occasional Stuff
97. Boy Crazy | A Place Apart
98. A List Of Our WordPress iCollaborative Internet      Team’s WordPress And Dot Com 69 Websites Under Development In February      2014 | Ten Days of Progress Using Intuitive Collaboration
99. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love | To Breathe      is to Write
100. Day 45: What Does Smitten Mean? | The Sacred      Architecture of Here and Now
101. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday I’m In Love | Running      After Ale
102. Teens: Love, lust, and abuse | Parents Are People      Too
103. You Make me Feel Like I’m Living a Teenage Dream |      Nerd.Laugh.Love
104. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love | Occasional      Stuff
105. The Girl From Italy | Edward Hotspur
106. A List Of Our PATRIOT MOVEMENT iCollaborative Internet      TEAM’s WordPress And Dot Com 69 Websites Under iDevelopment In February      2014 | a iwoodstock blog with no name (yet)
107. Valentinstag! | murmur of mimir
108. It’s Friday I’m in Love: Daily Post | Destino
109. My Greatest Treasure | Broken Light: A Photography      Collective
110. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m Inlove | Read and      Write
111. First love | polysyllabic profundities
112. Remembering My First Love | meg lago
113. Happy Valentine’s Day! | aMUSEing THINGS
114. Padlocks of Love | Passionately Bored
115. Smitten with Zack | Living Dead Girl
116. Happy Valentine’s Day! | Passionate Ambika
117. Strange, Uneasy Feelings | Buzzy Beez
118. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m In Love |      Lifeinpawprints’s Weblog
119. Crushing on the Guy | missmoodygirl
120. The Greatest Love of All | meanderedwanderings
121. How to be a Crushing Disaster | Your Smile is      Priceless
122. Daily Prompt: 1st crush at 5 years old | Life’s So      Sweet
123. Happy Valentines Day!! « One Crazy Mom
124. Crush to Love | Essence of Del
125. Celebrate The Small Things – Valentine’s Day Edition      | My Little Avalon
126. Constant (Seventh-Grade) Craving: First Crush,      November 1991 | Kosher Adobo
127. Falling in Love at 4 Years Old | Awkward Laughter
128. The Valentine Secret | SimplySage
129. The first time I fell in love | Lux
130. The Right Questions | Wiley’s Wisdom
131. Daily Prompt: It’s Friday, I’m in Love | @ The West      Gate
132. I defy you not to be in to this woman | The Bohemian      Rock Star’s “Untitled Project”
133. Crushin’ | Willow’s Corner