Friday 11 July 2014

KISSING

Pucker Up! 


The other Sunday was International Kissing Day.  And this kind of got me thinking.  Thinking about kissing.  Every girl growing up remembers the story of the frog that was turned into a Handsome Prince through the power of a kiss.



A kiss is a glorious thing.  A truly glorious thing. A kiss is the act of pressing one's lips against the lips (or other body parts) of another.  And to be enjoyed it should be shared.  As Bernard MELTZER explained, "Happiness is like a kiss.  You must share it to enjoy it."



So, as the song goes, in the dulcet tones of Dooley WILSON in the 1942 film, Casablanca: "You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss." ... but really, is it?  Is a kiss ever just a kiss?



There are many types of kisses. A formal kiss.  A friendly kiss.  A passionate kiss.  A goodbye kiss.  And of course, a first kiss.  



And we have all experienced that 'first kiss' that all important first kiss, that nerve wracking, knee trembling anticipation of 'the first kiss'.  But why? What's so important about the first kiss?  Is it the fact that it is the first kiss which has the power to either 'rock your world' or 'shatter your dreams'?  Maybe it is as Cher informed us in the 'Shoop Shoop Song', "If you wanna know if he loves you so, it's in his kiss."  And then there was poor George Michael, who "Must Have Been Kissing A Fool".



The idea behind the International Kissing Day is that many people may have forgotten the simple pleasure associated with kissing, the pleasure of kissing for kissing's sake; as opposed to kissing as a mere 'social formality' or as a prelude to other activities. International Kissing Day is a day, a whole day, to remind us that kissing can be an enjoyable experience in and of itself. It is an expression of and experience of intimacy, of affection and essentially of love.



Audrey HEPBURN certainly was an advocate of kissing.  She is quoted as saying, "I believe in kissing, kissing a lot."  So do I Audrey.  And Ingrid BERGMAN commented that "A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous."  Even Albert EINSEIN had an opinion on the topic, commenting that "Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."  Quite right Albert.



The record for the longest kiss now stands at 58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds.  Blimey! That really is quite some kiss.



Percy Bysshe Shelly summed it all up pretty well in his poem, 'LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY':


The Fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law devine
In one another's being mingle -
Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdain'd its brother:
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea -
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me? 

Indeed, what are these kissings worth, if thou kiss not me?



Personally, I think I am a little like Scarlett O'Hara (equally as complex,willful and bright *cough*) and just as Rhett says of Scarlett, I think I "should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how."  Yes, I probably should.



So. Gentlemen.  If you know-how. Form an orderly queue!

7 comments:

  1. May I be first in the queue? X

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  2. Awe! A good kiss. When you've been married as long as I have that is one of those things that gets overlooked. Sure me and hubby kiss, just not like we did when we first got together. So this blog has reminded me of the importance of kissing and how it should be done everyday! Good kisses too not a peck but a kiss! So to all those out there married think about how kissing could improve your marriage and pucker up! Thanks Hanya for this important reminder! xxxxxx

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    1. I love Casablanca ... "Kiss me, as if it were the last time..." ... Glad that this reminded you to pucker up and grab that hubby of yours - MWAH x

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  3. A kiss is the most intimate thing.

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    1. When shared with the right person, it is the BEST thing x

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  4. The great Duke Ellington believed in giving four kisses, "One for each cheek"! Xxxx

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