Epic Romance

The phone rings at six in the morning and it's my fault I know as I've been up at all hours of the night answering texts from my English friend with girl problems. And I know it's him and I try to sound spry, like I've already done the canyon walk and had my tea and that I've already glimpsed the sun. "That was an intense discussion" he texts at 5. "Hello" I say in my most sing-song voice. "So what happened?" And when I tell you that this drama has been playing out for over a month, it's been full on, every day. I tell him it's like landing a really good salmon. You've got her on your hook but you have to play the game to land her. You have to be patient. You have to have your waders on. You have to have a flask of tea with you in case you're there for a while. "So we walked the dogs in the cold together" he says, "and we talked about everything." "That's great" I say. "And she was in tears" he says "and confused and she asked me what I wanted from her." As we've had a month of non-starters where my friend has begun to believe that his Epic Romance is in fact no more than the sad story of a walker, this sounds really hopeful. "And what did you tell her?" I ask. "I told her that I wanted it all. The whole package. Everything." He said. And as he was saying I could feel the tears pricking my eyes and I'm quickly sobbing down the phone. It's just the MOST romantic thing I've heard in ages. "You said that?" I weep. "You said that hokey, corny thing? It's terrible. It's SO 'Love Actually'" "Yes, I did. I meant it," said my friend.

Can you imagine? Can you imagine having those words said to you? The unconditional nature of those words? Imagine that. I blew my nose and threw on pajamas and a big old sweatshirt from BATES which I wear in the mornings now and made myself a quick cup of tea. I am so proud of my friend. I am so damn proud of him.

Is there anything more sexy than a man who has the balls to put it out there like that?

So we're kicking about on the hillside as we do at seven ayem. The dogs snuffling and rooting. Me with my cup of tea, and my glasses, and my iphone, answering emails, trying to get ready for the day. And the sky is cold blue. And the sun is up and all manner of birds are singing, and I realize that the world is a beautiful place, on a Monday morning, just before Thanksgiving, on a day when I'm about to see hundreds of children singing "What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love." It's bloody epic. That's what it is. That simple, sweet act of commitment. I post my daily "Good Morning from Laurel Canyon" picture on Instagram (click here) and this time it says: "the future looks bright."

If you're home with your loved ones, or about to go home, or in touch by phone, or text, or whatever you use, remember to hug those you love. Remember to shower the people. It's all we can do. And Happy Thanksgiving my lovely ones. xo