I kept thinking of this old Italian film I used to watch as a child. It took place in a classroom and Rossi, the best student, was beaten one day by anther student who scored better on a test. One test. When all the ridiculous underachievers found out that Rossi was not the 'best' anymore, they started chanting in a chorus of mediocrity:
"Tu non sei piu primo, tu non sei piu primo!"
[You're not the first (best) anymore, you're not the first....]
I always felt for Rossi. His whole life, well, from the age of 6-10 at least, poor Rossi had done everything to learn all he could and he was mostly resented for being successful. And the one time he slipped by one point, he gets faced with the horrible voices of those who never cared to self-improve and learn but rather emerged in a sea of triviality and boredom.
So, this Valentine's day, if you're going home to someone who likes you well, who makes you feel good, and who is at times responsible for taking you out of the sea of 'tu non sei piu primo' chanters, be equally good to them the way you were a day prior. If you're going home to an absence of that, embrace the idea that it can be had by anyone. It's not inorganic chemistry. Far from it. It's easy because it's instinctual. Find what makes you content for the moment and keep it moving. You won't gain any unnecessary weight or cellulite which, let's face it, will dramatically improve your chances of pairing up with someone who's not into group chanting and who's a better natural fit for you anyway.
And, for all of us, chocolate eaters and non-eaters alike, let's enjoy a bit of fun reading from the great W. Somerset Maugham and his novel, The Painted Veil.
When the doctor in the novel realizes that his marriage is coming to an end and he sees his wife, due to no fault of her own or her nature, for how she actually is: limited, he writes:
“I had no illusions about you. I knew you were silly and frivolous and empty headed. But I loved you. I knew that your aims and ideals were vulgar and commonplace. But I loved you.... I did everything I could to make you think me as big a fool as the rest of the men you knew.”
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