the world greatest thing, love

"You spend your life searching for greatness," Emily said, handing over the ring in the velvet box it came in. "You're reaching for things I can't give you and I don't want to spend my life not measuring up."
"But I love you," he said. "I really do." Her decision made no sense. By his count, their 4-year engagement hadn't even come close to the world record, 67 years, held by Octavio Guilen and Adriana Mart'nez of Mexico City.
Emily smiled, her lips a bit crooked. "You know everything about the fastest coconut tree climber and the biggest broccoli, but you don't know the first thing about love." She wiped a tear from her ocean-colored eyes. "That's the only kind of greatness that counts, and I hope you find it someday."

Excerpted from The Man Who Ate the 747 by Ben Sherwood Copyright© 2000 by Ben Sherwood.

J. J. Smith, Keeper of the Records for The Book of Records, is an ordinary man. he knows he can never break a world record so he sets to be one that judge them. J.J. has clocked the world’s longest continuous kiss. He has verified the lengthiest single unbroken apple peel. He has tasted the world’s largest menu item. But J.J. has never witnessed great love.

Love is not a feeling he claimed. "it is brain chemistry. you see a pretty girl and you get a blast of neurotransmitter called dopamine. that's why you feel excited. same with happiness. it's just electrical impulse from your left prefrontal cortex." Wally, the man that is eating the 747 plane to prove his love has no doubt that his left prefrontal cortex was spinning, but he was also sure that the impulse came straight from the heart. the man from the book of records know his science, but he didn't know beans about love.

J.J feared to admit those feelings and walked away. then he comes to understand that the world greatest thing, love cannot be measured and quatified. this time he is not going to reason scientifically anymore. but she is afraid to love him again and get hurt. "Give me another shot. let's make one perfect day," J.J. "and if it feels right, let's make another one tomorrow." that reminds me of the movie 50 first dates.

"you don't love me today," the wife told him, in the movie the prestige. fact is feelings do matter. it is not how many times you say i love you that day or how many hours you sit by her side but how much you want her that makes all the different and yes, she can feel it.

i did tears eventhough i told him* i don't normally cry reading a book. this might be just a novel, this other story** is real though. life can be quite beautiful, if you allowed yourself to be loved and to love.
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*we said our first hello on msn. he is a guy that i haven't meet before though we have some common friends. when i showed him this list, he said he had done most of it. i wasn't quite sure then till the man who ate the 747 by Ben Sherwood arrived in my mailbox. i mean how often do you get mail, what more from someone you haven't even meet. that is really sweet, i don't know who thought him that :)

**taken from y's blog