what s/he wrote

a few weeks ago, i saw this statement from my friend yk hong:  "the first time i meet you i will already love you."  i've been thinking about it ever since.  short and simple, yes.  but a pretty big deal.  "the first time i meet you i will already love you."


i haven't seen yk in years and years, but even back then, i believe that statement was true for her.  me, on the other hand: i believe hard in the good in people, but still my own stuff sometimes gets in the way.  

so i've been thinking: what would change in our lives if we could adopt yk's mantra?

could we go to parties and already love the person we don't know, instead of staring as we slurp on our drinks and asking with furrowed brows in a stage whisper, "who is that at the artichoke dip?"

could we walk into business meetings and know that the more powerful, more experienced, more everything person we're shaking hands with is lovable and awesome and will be enjoyable to know?

could our exchanges with the cash register guy at the gas station, the server at the restaurant, and the guitar guy at the shop on the corner feel different because of an assumption of love?

i wonder:  can we change the texture of our interactions simply by deciding that "the first time i meet you i will already love you"?  could it make us more interested in the other person?  or at least less likely to ignore them?  could it help us forget some of our own nervousness, self-consciousness, and tendency toward comparison?  could it mean that we go easier on folks, give them a little bit more benefit of the doubt, just because we already love them?  

i think i'm going to try it.  i'll let you know how it goes.