Why do we like the things we like? Now we all have things we say we like because it’s popular or our friends are all into it. In middle school, I used to peg my jeans because my best friend pegged his. I didn’t get why it was cool, but he thought it was, so it was. I am not talking about those things. I am talking about the things in life that magnetically suck us in, seemingly without our consent. Movies provide a great example of what I’m talking about.
Back when I actually had cable, if I ever came across the remake of The Parent Trap while flipping channels, I had to stop and watch it. Damn you, ABC Family! But, really, The Parent Trap? For some reason that defies explanation this 38-year-old, hairy, butt-scratching, whiskey-drinking, man, really likes Lindsay Lohan’s The Parent Trap. I can’t even begin to tell you why.
Another example, though not as guilt inducing, is the Ocean’s Trilogy. Last night I watched Ocean’s Thirteen. In fact, I watched all three Ocean’s movies over the course of a few days. I would have liked to have watched them all in one day, but I also like being employed so no dice. I love these movies. These aren’t the kind of movies I can have on in the background while I work on something else. When they are on, much like The Parent Trap, I have to really watch them. They demand my attention.
But why? Why do I like these movies in particular? Why do we like anything that we like? We can point out positive aspects of the things we like in an attempt to explain the ‘why’. From the style in which they were directed, shot, and edited to the performances of the actors, the Ocean’s movies just scream cool. With Parent Trap… well, I got nothing there, but the question is why do certain aspects speak to us?
Maybe you think this is a stupid question. However, you ask yourself this question all the time. Only when you do, you are asking it in reverse. Why does he/she like me? What can so-and-so possibly see in me? How can he/she love me?
If you have been in that relationship long enough, chances are you have actually asked them that question. At which point they rattled off the positive aspects of you. However, as we know from our movie example, that really doesn’t answer the question of why.
SO THE HELL WHAT!
Next time you get a little down on yourself, wondering why that perfect creature who sleeps next to you loves you, just remind yourself of all the things you love. You don’t know why you love them but you do… with all your heart. Maybe, just maybe, you are one of those inexplicable things that your man or woman is drawn to. They really don’t know why, they just love you.
Sometimes, we can’t worry about the ‘why’, we just have to accept the ‘is’.
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