26 Great Loves of my life - Let's call them Wazza and Wyn... #atozchallenge

Wazza was a bonzer bloke. He didn't just help frail old ladies across the road, he carried them. He was a sculptor of metal and concrete, and a jack-of-all trades. Wyn was a marine steward whose car needed some minor repairs. Always on the look out to save some money she offered to clean his office in exchange for his time.

It was lust at first barter. The bingle that could have been fixed in a few hours ended up taking much longer. After all the cleaning and repairs were done Wazza personally delivered her fully re-sprayed good as new car to her apartment. She cooked him mango stuffed chicken breasts with a melody of spring vegetables and smashed potatoes.

Life's up and downs had taken their toll on Wyn. She was wary of men and some of their lecherous ways, but this sort of attention couldn't be ignored. Wazza was patient and persistent. After several months, and a few settled blues, they became a couple in love.

A year later he asked her to move into a new house with him. At the slightest suggestion she would think about it, he started moving her furniture out of the apartment. He was brave. At first she worried about protecting her assets then she embraced his enthusiasm. The procrastinator in her was in complete awe.

They moved into a mini mansion with a pool and hosted parties that lasted for days. They endured each others bad habits and encouraged each other to heal old wounds. They argued about manners and the future, sometimes for weeks. It was harsh at times but they always managed to talk about or laugh their problems away.

After a while his almighty laugh began to annoy her and their words became repetitive.

They were both unhappy. He ended the relationship. Wyn hated him for giving up, her family knew nothing of separations, commitments were meant to last. Wazza's family was a web of ex-inlaws and half brothers and sisters. He couldn't understand what she was trying to hold onto.

As the future began to take shape Wyn realised Wazza was right. Their relationship had passed its use by date and she was much better off without him. Wazza was cracking open another stubby when he heard Wyn had found love again.  He was happy for her and proud of his decision.

Have you been guilty of holding onto a person that is holding you back?

Can you look back on your time together and have a good laugh?

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 The A to Z challenge.  My theme and links to all 26 Greatest loves of my life.

26 Greatest loves of my life. Let's call him....Peridot. #atozchallenge

It started in the Spring of '89.  Peri was 18, well travelled, tall and handsome. He had no concept of jealousy.  He was chivalrous, spontaneous and a bird lover.

He took me places I'd never been. The ballet, faraway mountains and the depths of my imagination. When we ate breakfast at Melbourne's fanciest venue, the Hyatt on Collins, his eyes sparkled while Edith Piafs Non, ne je regrette rien crackled over the speakers. He wanted to impress me. I remember thinking it was weird he liked opera! We were an unlikely pair.

In a time when a landline was the only form of communication, I planned chance meetings. I waited for the phone to ring. Checked the dial tone when it didn't, and tried to think of good reasons to call him. I practiced sounding genuine.

Fate bought us together - over and over again.  Destiny, and his lust for walkabouts, kept tearing us apart. He came in and out of my life like a proverbial yo-yo, oddly that's what he used to call me. Our relationship status was 'if you love someone let them free,' when they come back they're yours, but only for short bursts of intense drama"

It was a long-distance, drawn out relationship. For years I dreamt him beside me and woke with empty arms. It became an obsession that manifested into an A-grade addiction. It spawned journals, poetry and lyrics to unfinished rock ballads.

It was all 9 planets aligned, love at first sight, don't tell me it's not true love, I'll always love you, no-one understands our love, I want you to be a mountain, you'd rather be a river, cliche after cliche, unrequited love.  Neither of us found what we were looking for.

Letting go was the lesson. Cry me a waterfall, but the year finally came when I couldn't cry anymore. I let go of the fantasy.

Peri taught me that my words affected other people, in ways I couldn't predict. Emotions didn't exclusively belong to women. Men feel too.

Have you ever invested all your emotions into one person? Fallen in love with someone you thought was an Eagle (partner for life) but turned out to be more of a Rooster?

Image courtesy of free-graphics.com

Cock-a-doodle-do
26 Greatest loves of my live
#atozchallenge

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I use #atozchallenge when sharing my favourite posts.

Like Reflex Reactions on Facebook

Follow @ReflexReactions on Twitter

Add me to your circles on Google+ 

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Read more about:

 The A to Z challenge.  My theme and links to the 26 Greatest loves of my life.

26 Greatest loves of my life - Let's call them...Hormonal teenagers #atozchallenge

Oddly enough it was around the time of puberty that I stopped chasing after boys I went to school with.  I was more interested in the posters of movie and pop stars covering my walls. 

I  was in the drama club, debating, a school council representative and captain of house sports. I was a high achieving good girl, that smoked in the toilets and often got sent home from school for wearing too much make-up.

At least once a month we would go to an underage disco.  If my parents knew how many boys I kissed at those police supervised events I would have been banned for life. It was a competitive sport amongst my friends. Anything more? Not a chance. I didn't want to be 'that' girl in the snide remarks and dirty talk of the school yard.

Some of the guys at school would mob the girls, at lunchtime. At first, it was harmless water fights.  Fun and games, until they started trying to pull our dresses off.  Fortunately the more we screamed, yelled and struggled, the faster they backed off. Even on the hottest days, we we wore t-shirts under our dresses and sports bloomers over our undies, a vain attempt to protect our modesty.

Like most of my friends I began thinking about Mr Right. We agreed it was out-dated to wait until we we married to lose our virginity.  We would, however, save ourselves for someone that we were truly in love with.  Someone we would be with forever. The One.

Cue the Summer holidays. "I met a boy cute as can be."

He was a year older, a musician who enrolled at my school after the Summer.  I had my friends he was making new friends. He was mature and never pressured me. During the Easter holidays he politely asked me to take our relationship to the next level.

I considered it, but a nagging feeling that I wasn't in love persisted. I knew he wasn't 'The One.' I broke up with him. Things would only get awkward if he kept asking.

I made some serious promises to myself that year.  Some I didn't keep, others I still maintain.  Like, only ever doing what I feel completely comfortable with.

I guess I love those hormonal teenagers because they taught me how to say "no thank you" to gentlemen with manners and roar at brutes who use force to try and cross my boundaries.

Did you fantasise about your first love being your sole/soulmate, your one and only?  Is this the reason why 'breaking up is never easy'?

Alzheimer's, old boyfriends and Aussie slang.

Follower or followed, the 2013 A to Z April Challenge, probably bought us together.  I joined at the last minute and embarked on a sleepless month of writing, editing, re-writing and most importantly reading hundreds of blogs. The challenge gave me a new love of the written word and took me places I never imagined - did I mention hundreds of blogs i.e thousands of blog posts.  I even scored a monthly gig posting anonymously for another blog, bring on more of that kind of work - please.

If you want to join up click the link under the image.  Arlee Bird created the challenge, you'll find links to his page and all the other hosts there too.

sign up to the challenge link here

Last year my theme was Healing with Words - based around a deck of magic spirit cards that guided me through many of lives lessons, during my twenties.  Single words that were a seeming, random catalyst for change. A change that was desperately needed. The aim was to find my writing voice.  I'm not sure that happened, I dabble between poetic and prose, mostly prose, I have to edit out the rhyming a lot.

This year I have signed up early, with any luck I will get a lot of my posts written and scheduled well before the start date... or procrastinate, as is my way, and leave it to the last minute once again.

The one major thing getting in the way of being organised is I'm stuck between 3 themes.  A theme is not necessary, this in itself could be my fourth theme, but let's not confuse things anymore than necessary.

Here are my themes so far.

1.  , Aussie slang, as mentioned in my Reflections post.  For the traveller to Australia or a new immigrant these are invaluable, for the curious wordsmith a good laugh.  Some make perfect sense some make none at all... I'm pretty sure I could 'ave a go' without making a 'Wally' of myself, but 'fair dinkum' there are teatowels in every tourist shop with slang on them, and it might be a bit 'daggy.'

2. 26 boyfriends.  From my first crush at 5 years old to my current love story, and all the unrequited loves, mistakes, heart breaking and heart mending romances in between. A snapshot of the many boys and men in my life seems like a fun idea.  A is for Adam - the first love. B is for Brett - my favourite mistake. C is for Con - his mother hated me. D is for Dean - Summer of love love love. E is for Eddie - that cute Scandinavian kid. etc etc

and finally

3.  Remember the time... A journey into Alzheimers.  My recent trip to Australia inspired this one.  My mother was diagnosed in 2012 she forgets things and doesn't even remember she has Alzheimers.  I'm not sure where this theme will take me, the story is fresh.  While watching anyone succumb to a disease is horrible, forgetting can be fun and despite the tragedy of it all we managed to have a lot of laughs. They say comedy is tragedy with good timing and I feel comfortable sharing.  

So bloggers, help me decide should it be 1 2 or 3?

I'll be doing the big A to Z theme reveal on March 21st - find the linky list here


In the meantime, I'll be brushing up on how to do links and visiting some of my favourite blogs from 2013 to see who else will be signing up.