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Big deal proposals

Big deal proposals

Posted: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 8:00 pm
By: By Lisa Smartt

There’s a trend in America right now. Make everything a big deal. A really big deal. Let’s take marriage proposals. There was a day when a marriage proposal was pretty simple. A young man didn’t even consider spending money on the proposal. He didn’t spend months planning it either. He looked at the young woman lovingly. He may have even gotten down on one knee or held her hand. But the words were simple. “Will you marry me?” She said, “Yes.” They got married a few months later. Was it a big deal? Absolutely. It was a big deal because they were only going to do this once. The proposal didn’t have to be rocket science.
But now everyone wants to do something worthy of a viral YouTube video. They jump out of planes. They propose in scuba gear under the blue waters of the Caribbean. Some have the proposal written on a Jumbo Tron at a Cardinals’ game or flying across the sky behind an airplane. Some men even hire a stringed quartet and rent out a whole restaurant. And that’s fine. Really. If you want to rent a hot air balloon and jump out of it with the words “Will you marry me?” written on the parachute, knock yourself out. Literally.
One creative marriage proposal in California disturbed me greatly. A man recruited 300 friends and associates to ride motorcycles in such a way as to shut down Interstate 10 with a massive traffic jam. He then proposed to his girlfriend right there in the middle of the interstate with friends and family watching from a nearby overpass. He later commented that the commotion and terrible traffic jam was worth it. Worth it? Was it worth it to the people trying to get to work or another obligation that afternoon? That, my friends, is the height of selfishness and narcissism. A word to the wise. Don’t marry someone who would shut down traffic on a busy interstate highway because he thinks the world revolves around your undying love for each other. It doesn’t.
The good news? If you’re a young man who wants to secure the undying affection of a good woman, you don’t have to stop traffic or don scuba gear. You don’t have to hire a private pilot or a stringed quartet. You don’t even have to think of a proposal that will go viral and land you a spot on the evening news.
I suggest you do something far more meaningful. Be kind even when you don’t feel like it. Be considerate of her needs. Man up and work hard at your chosen profession. Ask forgiveness when you hurt her. Ask her to join you in the great adventure of a life built together … with all the sacrifices, difficulties and rewards. Be meticulously faithful. Tell her you’ll love and protect her until death. Then do it. Day after day after day.
If you do that, you’ll probably never be on the evening news. Your marriage may never make the papers. But you’ll be a stand out, friend. A stand out in a selfish world that desperately cries out for real love. And trust me. That’s a big deal.
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For more information about Lisa Smartt, visit her website, lisasmartt.com. She may be contacted at lisa@lisasmartt.com.

Published in The Messenger 5.22.13

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