Infinite Honeymoons
The Ecology of Love
Jewelry for Your Heart
Infinite Honeymoons
There is no more romantic place than Santorini. And given that Kait and I had been dating for about 32 days before we arrived on the island of Santorini, it is no wonder that so many people asked us if we were on our honeymoon. We were being asked about whether this was our honeymoon by well, almost everyone. The guy on our sunset pirate ship tour asked immediately if we were honeymooners. At a volcano our tour stopped at, a guy carrying his kid up it had just enough breath left to ask if we were married and on our honeymoon without even saying hello. Kait and I began to get creative with our answers. Yes, this is actually our 69th honeymoon. Yup we sure are and we are honeymooning every day from here on out. To be honest, I love honeymooning with Kait. As we slowly made our way around Santorini, with a strong wind blowing from all directions, it was stunning to take in the views of the expansive ocean from every angle. The architecture of Santorini is built into the side of the mountains so that every bar and restaurant is set up for ocean from views as far as the eye can see and when you look up – the fullest night sky of stars you can imagine.
Even though we just started dating, the idea of the honeymoon is just too good to do just once in your life and to wait till after marriage for, ya know? So, it was in Greece that we committed to each other to have “Infinite honeymoons.” That is a number of honeymoons that I can get behind.
The Ecology of Love
So, what is it about a place that makes it so damm romantic? I mean to be fair if you had a horrible relationship with someone and you went to Santorini, I don’t believe the setting will solve your problems. The Santorini sunset over Fira is only so powerful. But, if you are in love or teetering on the edge of love, then I feel like Santorini actually enhances the depth and texture of that feeling because Santorini embodies a lot of the qualities of love.
First of all, Santorini is patient. What does it mean for an island to be patient? Well, as you walk around Santorini, it seduces you to slow down. It provides dramatic cliffs contrasted by calm clear blue waters that cause you to pause and take it all in. The romance is in the slowmance as I have never said before but am now typing. It really is. Santorini waits for you to refresh your eyes and your senses and the sensuality of slow is in waking up to the details of your lover and the delectable idiosyncrasies of your own unique love story.
2nd of all, Santorini is kind. It is kind on the eyes with the way the human-made blends with the natural with its white and blue gentle architecture that hugs the curves of the natural land. It is kind on the heart as you are treated to a peacefulness and contentedness to savor the simple things that, despite Santorini having many luxury options, are totally free like a sunset, the warmth of the breeze, and the vastness of the ocean. And It is kindness from others-like the time Kait and I took the gondola down the cliff and despite my attempts to be supportive she was terrified and making quite a kerfuffle in our gondola and when we got off, the quiet lady in the one in front of us came over to us and said “I just want you to know I heard everything and I am glad you are okay.”
3rd of all, Santorini is simple. We stayed at a place called Bedspot Hostel and despite having a name that does not connote luxury, we found it to be the perfect romantic boutique hostel. It was aesthetically designed with a majestic simplicity and an eye for the way in which the interior design can flow with the exterior beauty of the island. And later that day for our sunset cruise we made the choice to keep it simple by choosing a Pirate Ship over the more luxurious Catamaran. Also the Pirate Ship was somehow cheaper! So, we took that. We loved how simple it was. Us. Pirate Ship. The ship stopped at a Volcano to hike and then we took a dip in the clear refreshing water and then a simply delicious dinner on board as we watched the sunset. With all the hype about Santorini being so romantic it had a lot to live up to. And it surpassed those expectations.
Santorini was the most romantic place I have ever been and I kept falling more in love with Kait because the inner matched the outer, the environment matched the heart, and when the “Ecology of Love” is aligned, the depth of love is unbounded and expands the possibilities of the imagination. Now with the love I have for Kait I am certain that a honeymoon to Ohio would continue to deepen the love betwixt us but hey I’m just saying that Santorini has that special spark, that sparkle, that boom boom, that… you know what I’m trying to say. Or as one of the 2nd graders at the school I worked at Detroit Leadership Academy said about his heart after running around after a soccer ball “my boy be going boom boom boom right na.”
Jewelry for Your Heart
Santorini has so many glamorous little boutiques and as we walked around I was just noticing what caught Kait’s eye. In one boutique, there was one necklace in the shape of a pizza that Kait was like “Oooo I like that” when she saw it in the window of a jewelry shop. I noticed that, of course. I had been thinking how much I love Kait’s style – very elegant, minimalist, and simple. So, when she took a shower in the morning of our last day on Santorini, I quickly decided to make a run for it back to that jewelry shop to get that pizza slice necklace. And this was after a morning run we did together that involved us getting chased by three dogs, jumping a fence, and ended with us finding an ostrich farm right by the water of Santorini. So, I was already tired but I ran hard. And fast, And luckily it was right around the corner from our place. I ran back with the necklace in a box in my pocket and came back in the room right when Kait was coming out of the shower. It was the only time I have ever felt that I had something to hide from Kait and although it was a surprise for her I didn’t like that feeling. Jewelry is nice. Very shiny. Looks good sometimes with outfits. But the real jewelry for the heart is trust. It is safety. It is honesty. And that is the kind of jewelry that I will always give to Kait. The kind that makes the heart shine.
