me kissing you: me kissing David

Thursday, January 19, 2012

me kissing David

This was the first time I'd met David Greer, but I've known him for a couple of years.

David falls under that peculiar, 21st century category of "Facebook friend." He was introduced to me by a college classmate---someone I'd lost touch with until I found her again on Facebook, and I haven't seen her in more than a decade.

But when I started this blog and started posting the links to Facebook, David was among the first to say he wanted to participate. He doesn't live in Houston but comes to the city regularly, so it was just a matter of coordinating. We ended up having lunch at the Montrose Berry Hill, where I'm sure no one even noticed one man giving another a peck on the cheek.

This meeting came with a surprise, which I'm using as code for "blessing." I promote this blog with the tag line, "a little sugar makes the whole world sweeter"---as if I'm one to spread any sweetness. Today, the sweetness came to me. Without agenda or any evident premeditation, David brought me a word from the Lord (to use cliched language) and it's been . . . well, it made my day a little sweeter.

Funny how these things sneak up on you. From a doing theater with Mary Margaret 25 years ago to a Facebook introduction 2 or 3 years ago to blogging in a not terribly serious fashion . . . well, you gotta count it all joy . . .

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about this blog . . .

So 2011 saw me dealing with a bad 2010 by posting a picture of myself, taken first thing every morning, as some kind of conceptual art project. You can see all 365 blurry, bleary photos here.

As it was, at it's core, a response to loneliness, I knew it was not something I could or should sustain beyond the one year boundary I initially set for it. But I sort of liked this photo blogging thing . . .

So I decided the next logical step was to reach out to other people. Not just reach out, but cross some of my own comfort zones and kiss them. Not on the mouth, not in a romantic or sexual way, just a kiss on the cheek.

So, this year, I plan on kissing as many people as I can. I won't even try to kiss someone everyday, but in various situations, I may just ask someone, "hey, can I kiss you and photographically document the event?" If they say no, no worries, I'll move on. If they say yes, I'll say, "I have this tiny release form granting me permission." (It is a tiny release form, postcard size.)

It's a small way to get me out of a rut I'm in and also to spread a little love. In the ancient Christian church, there was the custom of the "kiss of peace" (which survives in liturgical churches today as "passing the peace," usually signified by a handshake). I think of this exercise as something of passing the peace, too, of offering a kiss of peace to whoever will let me do it. And document it.

Wait---there's more! You can be kissed, too! If you're in the Houston area and would like to be kissed by me, let me know. Or if you're coming to Houston. Or even if you're not in Houston or coming to Houston, but want to be on a list of potential kissees, in the event that I might be traveling to where you are (I get up Austin a few times a year, I hope to get to Chicago this year, etc.), let me know that, too. you never know where I might pop up. Email me at neilellisorts (at) yahoo dot com.