Umm ... Crazy

I was listening to the radio the other day and the Bachelor became the topic of conversation. One of the hosts claimed that the girls on the show straddle the fence between trying "not to be crazy" and "showing Jake how much they like him." Some even ask him if he'd like to watch when they do the straddling. (Made that up.)

Let's evaluate that theory. Many of the "dismissed" regret that they didn't tell Jake how they feel earlier or in more detail. (I loved you from the moment I met you. No, I mean I loved you before I met you!) On the other hand, every season we see lots of "crazy" chicks hang around a lot longer than we think they maybe should (i.e. Vienna deVille).

I reckon that the lesson to be learned is that you can't do love without some crazy. If you try to hide the crazy, you'll probably miss out on some love. OK, that's maybe a bit overboard. You can do love without crazy. My mom doesn't hack into my dad's email or publicly seduce him (at least anymore ... why, why, did I go there? Brainflush, brainflush). But seriously, the mutual craziness stage can act like a glue that brings two together. When the craziness fades, the glue has formed and now you're stuck!, or committed and stable.

If you don't accept that some craziness is going to be involved, you probably should just sit out. If you constantly try to rationalize and suppress your impulses away, your object of affection will think you are not interested.

That's why I'm cool with a little bit of crazy. It's easy to criticize from the sidelines (which is what most who watch this show do), but the people in the show are giving it a shot. If someone allows themselves to show you their crazy, you are morally obligated to also show them yours. No. However, you should generally respect the attempt. If someone shows you their crazy, that just means they have excellent taste! Thanks, Mom. (Mom reference #2 - does that mean I need a psychologist?)

So Bachelorettes, keep telling me about your wedding plans with Jake, keep dreaming about what your kids are going to look like Conan-style, and keep crying when your multiple days long relationship ends roseless. At least you put out ... you know, your crazy.