12/3/08

a new decade


"Too often we are so preoccupied with the destination, we forget the journey."


I’ve got about 12 hours left of my third decade on this earth.  It’s odd to be able to count off my life in decades (I don’t think most people do), but it’s kind of cool at the same time.

 

Like I said I’ve still got a little bit of time left so it’s tough to get nostalgic or reflective yet.  I mean, a lot could happen between now and 9:12 tomorrow morning (mostly sleeping I hope).

 

Still, the twenties for me were pretty much constantly in motion.  I really don’t have the knack for staying put for too long.  I think that’s slowly changing.  This past year of totally rearranging my life was much harder than I expected.  I’m not as nimble as I was at 21.

 

Ironically I find myself at the end of this decade pretty much where I started.  Single, in school, working at a restaurant, really involved with church and really excited about the future.

 

Hard to believe it took ten years and a paradigm shift to be back on track.

 

Not that I have too many regrets about my twenties, because I don’t.  I’ve learned a lot (mostly the hard way).

 

The one underlying theme that I see in these last ten years is this:  I am blessed.

 

I have an amazing family that loves me very much and I love them.  Friends that have lasted and others that I have crossed paths with and journeyed for a time with at what seemed like just the right moment in my life.  For all of them, I am grateful and I know that I am blessed.

 

Mostly, I look back and see my path with God.  While I have not always understood the whys and the hows of my relationship with Him (sometimes purposefully ignoring it), I have always known that I when I wanted to, I could feel His love.  For that, I am certainly blessed.

 

So here’s to my twenties and everyone in them! And here’s to kicking off my fourth decade, with hope and excitement for the adventures to come!  Slainte!   

11/29/08

Young Love: Final Installment




"I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and glue them together again and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new. What is broken is broken -- and I'd rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken places as long as I lived."
-Margaret Mitchell

So we come to the last installment of the story of Nate and Paul.

Paul was many of my firsts.  First to date.  First to travel with.  First to love.  First to introduce my family to.  First to leave.  First to know.  First to mourn.

I wrote to Paul a few weeks after my ex-husband and I split.  It was a rare moment that we were both at our computers so we wrote the following exchange within a space of two hours:

December 15, 2005

Paul,

So I'm single again. Wasn't sure if I was going to write you, but for some odd reason I feel the need.

How are you? What's new? Fill me in . . .

-Nate



Nate,

I want to ask what happened. I have a million questions. I even want to know if you have to go through a divorce. But, I don't know if I should. You must be hurting, whether you want to admit it or not.

I will ask you this though: Why were you not sure if you wanted to write me?

Nate, I can't be anything valuable to you. I want to, but I can't. Maybe an ear, but that's it. I'm sorry that you are single again, because I want you to have happiness. I'm also sorry because I know I am weak.

Please don't pursue me, Nate. I know you aren't right now - but the day might come - and I want you to avoid it. I know you are a very caring and sensitive person. You have always respected me. If I could turn back time, things would be different. But, I am happy where I am. I want to be there for you - I want to be with you. I'm sorry.

You should know that I read Annie Proulx's, "Brokeback Mountain," and thought of you.

Paul


Paul,

So I suppose it wasn't that fair of me to send you this cryptic little message without being clear on why I was sending it to you. I want you to know that I am NOT pursuing you. Not that I don't have that desire, but like you said I respect and love you too much to put you into that situation. I am glad to you are happy.

I guess I would want to know if something big changed in your life as well. I would hope you'd be willing to share that with me still. No walls, no expectations. You are, and still will be, such a huge part of my heart, that it only felt right to at least let you know.

My ex and I were simply not happy. We grew to resent one another more than we appreciated each other in our relationship. It was past time that we needed to give each other our space. So he moved into an apartment not far from the house. I am confident that we will be very good friends . . .

Anyway, it's funny you read that book. I just picked it up yesterday to start reading. I'm excited to see the movie when it comes out in Utah. I wouldn’t suggest going and seeing it with your wife! (Just Kidding)

I was in Denver last weekend for my sister's graduation. Thought about you a lot and wondered where you were and what you were doing. If you ever find yourself in Utah I hope you don't feel that you can't look me up. I don't honestly expect you to anytime soon. But just in case...

-Nate


Mr. Currey,

Thanks for the fill-in. So, what now? Are you in rebound mode?

I just finished my semester last night. One more semester to go and I will have an MBA. Next semester I am going to be interning - hopefully - on top of my regular job and two other classes. So, my life will be "owned" until next May. Then, who knows? I want to get a job in new product development for a biotech company. It will be interesting to see if and what I can get hired doing. Otherwise, nothing is new. Merry Christmas, by the way.

Where are you at spiritually, Nate? I know the last time I spoke to you about that, you felt mostly reconciled.

Different subject - I must say that I was jealous of your husband. He was really good looking. Sorry, that's crass. But, if I'm ever going to be with you again, I'm going to be insecure about the men you've been with. Not that I plan on being with you again - just in my mind. But...

Nate, I absolutely hate the fact that I have a "tragic" part to me life. I love my wife, and I would never hurt her. But, I've never felt about anyone else, the way I still feel about you.

Have you ever seen the movie, "Love Actually”? There's a scene where a guy flips a bunch of cards expressing his deepest heart to a woman that just married his best friend. I lose it during that scene because I know what it is to never again have the one thing you've always wanted.

-Paul


Paul,

Reading this makes me want to hold you. I have seen that scene in that movie; it's my favorite scene in that movie and I too think of you every time I see it.

No I am not in rebound mode. I'm just trying to work through this and be happy again. I need some time alone to work it out in my own head. We were together for a long time and I have a huge void in my life right now. Not so fun during the holidays that's for sure. I find myself having good days, and then days like today where I am desperately trying to find a smile once again.

Spiritually I am well. Moving back to Utah was really the final part of that healing process. I was not able to avoid the Church AT ALL when I moved back here. It is a part of daily life here. It's been very cathartic to reestablish ties with friends from my mission and BYU and be honest with them about who I am and what my experiences have been. I have a solid personal relationship with God and still have a deep sense of spirituality everyday. I will admit that I am much more skeptical about organized religion though.

My ex is a very handsome guy. I was surprised to read that line from you. You must know that it's your heart that I still love. I will NEVER forget the moment that you pulled me toward you for our first kiss. I've yet to experience something like that again. So put your inadequacies at rest and know that you are the one . . .

I'm glad that I can share these thoughts and feelings with you. I really couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather share this with.

Be happy and know that there is a very comfortable couch here in Utah anytime you find yourself out this way . . .

-Nate

p.s. Do you still talk to your wife about me? Does she have any idea about your feelings?


Nate,

I haven't spoken to my wife about you in some time. She became very bothered by the idea of you the last time it came up. I think she sensed that I still have feelings for you, and she is afraid of those feelings, just as I am. If she knew how deep those feelings are...

There are some things that can never be spoken of. There are some loves that go on forever. No one ever promised us life would be fair. Love would not be so powerful, if it wasn't also so awful.

I cannot offer you a couch here – my wife would figure out who you are very quickly. (After she saw my eyes when I look into yours.) I'm sorry I can't reciprocate. But, I wouldn't want to stay on your couch anyway. I would want to hold you, and be held by you.

-Paul


Paul,

I never expected a stay on the couch with you! I never ever want to intrude on your space with your wife whatsoever. That would be about the most unfair thing that either one of us could do. Especially to her. She is a lucky woman to be able to experience your love on a daily basis.

Listen to that song I sent you. I love it...

Write me back...

-Nate


Nate,

I'm listening to the song right now. Hope you like the one I sent you.

-Paul


Paul,

I can’t open it for some reason. What's the title? I'll download it.

Thanks for corresponding with me tonight. I've had a tough day and you've just made my month. You are amazing as ever...

-Nate


Nate,

"Don't go to strangers." On her "Both Sides Now" disc. The one that was in
"Love Actually." It's meant to be a little tongue-in-cheek.

But, if I was going to send you a song that expressed my real feelings - well, I would ask you to get "We're so far away," by Mae, on The Everglow.

I'm glad I could make your month. Here's to better months to come!

Paul


Paul,

I'm downloading both of the songs right now and will give them a spin. After that I'm off to bed. You should be too!!

-Nate



Nate,

I will head off to bed here in a moment. I'm going to listen to Collide - while I fall asleep. It was magical, wasn't it? Our brief moment in time together. It seems like a mirage now.

-Paul

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul and I have written since and we will keep writing each other the rest of our lives I suspect.  For that I am grateful.  I do not know, nor expect to actually see Paul ever again.  But I know we will write.  It is in that safe space, not hearing voice inflection, or reading facial expressions or body language, that we have carved out our way to communicate.  

Now then . . . on to different subjects to blog about. . .

11/26/08

Young Love: 4th Installment


Better never to have met you in my dream than to wake and reach for hands that are not there.
-Otomo No Yakamochi

December 28, 2004

Paul,

I'm glad you wrote to me.  Sorry you had to join the gold membership to do it!
I'm living and working in Utah and have been out here for a little over two years now.  I'm still with Enterprise (4 years now) and have my own branch in Northern Utah.  Things are going really well.
I think of you often, especially when I head back home for visits.  Let me know what's going on with you.  How's your wife? Your job?  What have you been up to?  I hope things are well for you.
Hit me back with a note.
-Nate


Yes you read that correctly . . . wife.  

After the last installment, Paul and I didn't have much contact.  About a year later we bumped into each other at a club once and talked all night about getting back together.  Shortly after that, I called Paul and we decided to meet for lunch.  There were both things that we needed to tell each other.  

For my part I told Paul that I had made a big mistake with him and that I wanted to give dating him another shot.

For his part, he said he was glad to have my friendship, but that he was dating a woman and that things were getting serious between them.  

It was clear that I had missed my window of opportunity with him, so we left lunch that day with a big hug and a pledge from one another not to contact each other again, for both of our sakes.

Fast forward almost three years.  I had signed up for an account on one of those class reunion sites, the kind that extorts you out of money if you want any meaningful information about your old friends.  Just after Christmas of 2004, I received an email from Paul through that site trying to get my contact information.  

The email at the top of this installment is what I wrote back to him.  The following is what was returned to me:


December 28, 2004

 

Hey Nate,

Glad you got back to me.  Would have been a waste otherwise.  Currently, I am in the MBA program at CU Denver.  About half way through it.  My wife and I are going along well.  We are passionate people and our relationship shows it.  I am working for the University of Colorado, going on about four years now.  I'm on winter break from school and work right now.  Lots of free time.

 So, you are in Utah again.  Why did you go there?  Are you back with the church?  Where are you living? I am glad to hear you are still with Enterprise, and apparently heading a large area.  Congratulations.  (Can you see the walls?  They are almost tangible.  Why?  After all these years.)  Are you in a relationship?  I guess I am asking too many questions.

(I am about to take down all my walls - I'm sorry for the honesty.)

There was a time when I would not contact you.  For fear of betraying my own feelings.
  I guess I am not afraid anymore.  I loved you deeply back then.  I told my wife that.  She has been okay with it, surprisingly.  But I did not know how deep my love for you was, until more recently.  I have never stopped thinking about you.  There are times, especially at night, that I think about you and about our relationship. There is a place in my heart that longs to know you again.  I write about how I felt with you.  I dream about how life would have been with you.  I think over the day you decided to leave, and then about the day I saw you at the club, and then finally the day I saw you at Denver West.  All of it is like yesterday.  As clear as crystal, and as delicate.  Thinking on all these things has brought me to many conclusions.  But few as potent as this:  you were, and still are, the love of my life.  A love I can never have.  I say this without regret, or hope, or agenda.  It is something I have felt the need to tell you for some time.  I have made many mistakes in this life, but none as great as not following my heart.  But, I will not betray what I have now.  I will not add insult to injury.  I will live and love, and I will never have you.  I am a bitter man.  A broken man.

That's what I have to say.  It is a bit extreme, and certainly over-dramatic.  But, it is me, and nothing less - with no walls believe it or not.  I just thought you should know.

I love you, now and forever,

Paul

11/24/08

Young Love: 3rd Installment



"Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop."
-Anonymous

I decided to take the weekend off from this project.  Things are ramping up at school and church.  Sorry!

When last we checked in with the story, I had sent a despondent letter to Paul, concerned about things moving too quickly.

Today's installment is the resolution of that concern.

Please don't be too harsh on me.  I know what a fool I was.  I have not received love letters of this depth (or length!) from anyone else since, nor do I ever expect to again.


March 20, 2000

Nate-
Thank you for being honest with me. I enjoy honesty, even if it brings pain, and you have always been honest with me. First, let me say that this is not a "break-up" letter. Actually, it's quite the opposite. I just want to explain myself a little. Some things are more easily explained than others.
First, I do trust you. You question whether I trust you because I asked if you would consider dating other people an option. I said this because I wanted you to know that I didn't consider it an option for myself.
To prove that I trust you: Did I ever even hint at not trusting you before? Even when we weren't committed to each other? No. You are a good person, a real person. Someone I know that I can trust, believe me. It's true that I don't know you too well, that's what this is all about. But, I do know that I can trust you, and I want you to know that you can trust me. Trust is THE most important thing in a relationship. If we don't have it...well... But I trust you, and you CAN trust me.
Commitment. You really wanna know why I said those things two nights ago?
You may not believe this, but the answer is often this simple. I said I wanted to be with you for so long, because I was really enjoying your company. I have only known you for less than a month, and to say I will be with you for so long is ridiculous. I do not believe that, yet. I do know you well enough that you do not see that issue the same as me though, and maybe never will. Which is fine. Right now we ARE on the same page. I am taking this one-day at a time.
In the future I may move to the next page, but that will be years from now. Years. My parents have been together forever, as far as I can tell. My whole family and all my friends’ parents are all together forever, so I conceptualize it easily. That's all it was. A statement of affection that backfired. I enjoyed resting with you, and I pictured that and then said it in the wrong way. I was a fool to say it. I'm sorry.

I have never said anything in all seriousness just to push your buttons. I only do that when we are debating an issue. A worldly issue. I have never and will never do that when we are talking about each other. This is an area where you don't know me well yet. Which is fine, you are learning at the same time I am. So you see, we are both making bad assumptions, and that's OK as long as we continue to communicate as we are right now.
On faith, yes we really need to talk about it, but I know that as long as you love me and I love you, it should work out. On my life, I want you to get to know my life so much better. I knew this would happen too. You let me in on your whole family, excited for me to get to know everyone, but then that changes, and you suddenly feel vulnerable. I know that feeling exactly.
I want you to meet my friends, and my family. However, my friends I will tell about you now, my family, not yet. I wont be telling them I'm gay until I am committed to a long-term relationship with a man, which avoids unnecessary pain for them and me. 

This may seem like a major problem to you. But if they were to know you, and then find out the fullness of our relationship, they would change drastically. There will never be a time where my parents will be even kind-of OK with me being gay. When I tell them, rest assured, any pain that you may feel from them, I will be receiving a thousand times more. I can't explain this well here, so I will leave it at that. I AM going to let you into my life to meet everyone, just as soon as you want to.

I must be honest with you; I am a difficult person to know. Many of my friends love me dearly, but they know I can be a little nuts at times. This may not be good in your eyes. I can't apologize for who I am. I can and do apologize for the stupid things I do. For that, I say I am sorry. I am sorry that I have caused you so much pain, confusion, and torment. Rest easy, I love you, I trust you unconditionally. I am here for you, and I will accept whatever you give me, the good, the bad, and the end.

I want this to last; you are so good to me.

You are so much of everything I would be a fool to let you go without a fight.

Love,
Paul


March 23, 2000


Nate-
I know why I’m writing this, I know why I'm sending it, I don't know what possessed me to do either. What I have written here might fall on deaf ears, but it is undeniably worth it if it does not. I have spent more than what is reasonable, time-wise, thinking. This letter is the result of a week of deep thought, both logical and emotional. For this reason I would ask that you read this carefully. However, knowing what this letter will say, you may wish not to continue and I cannot fault you for that. Please, if you do continue, fully consider what I am saying.
You have probably recently returned from or are still on a great Spring Break, assuming all went well, and I hope it did. I do not expect you spent much of your time thinking on what I am writing here, maybe a little. In fact, you may not have spent much of your time thinking on this simply because it seemed resolved to you. I cannot say the same for myself. The purpose of this letter is two-fold. I have asked myself some questions that I could not answer and so I am looking to you for these answers; furthermore, I have come to some conclusions that I would like to share with you. Your response is optional, of course, and since I have just left on my Spring Break, any response wouldn’t be received for a week, which could be used in consideration.

Life would be so much easier if I didn’t have these feelings, specifically for you. Instead I have made myself the willing subject of pain in order to have the chance at experiencing incredible, lasting happiness. The fact of the matter is, I have taken the “reality pill,” but it isn’t the one we intended. I do understand that as things stand, our relationship is in the past. I did hear you when you said you were ready to let go. That reality I have accepted. However, what was not said, what caused our end, is what I am looking at and what I am questioning. So, this is the question part.

I have spent much time not only thinking about Saturday and the week before, but maybe more time thinking about all that happened in our past. I thought about meeting you, again, when you stood, both of us nervous, at my door. We went out and ate a big cookie and caught up and filled in. I thought about going to the Nugget’s game. I thought about wandering around Boulder on Valentine's looking for a place to eat with you. I thought about watching videos from Blockbuster, and meeting all your family. I loved going to Grand Junction, getting to know your cousins, telling people you were gay by telling them who I was! I saw how happy we were together. I also thought about our disagreements and our very tough times. And I came to a realization. Yes, we had more than our fair share of tough times. Yes, we were exploring a new world together, even if it was secretly holding hands at the movie theater. What I realized is that ending our relationship over seeing each other a few less times a week, doesn’t add up, when I see how great things really were. So I wondered, “Why is it over, really?”

I thought of a few reasons why it could have ended. Our disagreements, our misunderstandings, but we had made it through those, together! One answer stood out. Now, please understand that I am not trying to make you feel like the “wrong” one here, far from it. In fact I totally understand if this is what it really was. I think, and this is only my opinion, that your fear of commitment had a lot to do with it. Now, understand that I’m okay with that. How? Because it was your natural and true response to the situation. But I’m writing this because I’m no longer afraid. Why did this answer stand out? Well, I thought about how close we had become, real close. I thought about getting to know every one in your family. I thought about you telling me that you were scared that I was your only friend here. I thought about how much you agreed with my statement in my first email where I said that you were still “out exploring,” and I said I was too, just differently. All these, and much more pointed to this possible truth. So what am I asking? I’m asking, is this what it is, fear of commitment?
Nothing in this letter matters as much as this next part. 

Nate, I am truly in Love with you. Come what may, I was willing in the beginning and I’m willing now to bear all burdens just to know your love. The whole reason I’m writing all this is because the reality pill made things more clear. I understand your fears, I see our hardships, and I know we differ on some things if not manner. In fact, I really like our differences! But none of that matters to me above how I feel about you.

You are the sun in my day; your smile makes my soul warm. Your laugh resonates in my mind and brings me peace. Your intellect could keep me busy for ten life times. When we were together there was always an invisible beam that connected us. We tested each other, and we came out with flying colors. I also know that I am right for you. I am confident in my intellect, my personality and my looks. You will always know that you can trust me.

I can’t imagine what I wouldn’t want to explore with you. I’m at the prime of my explorative life. I’m tether-free. I want to see the world, and have a true and meaningful relationship with someone. I want to do stuff that scares me, and stuff I’ve never heard of before. All these things I know you want to do too.

We never had the chance to go to a football game together. We never travelled, at least very far, together. There are so many things we have left to learn about each other. I can't think of anyone I'd rather do those things with. All right, if all of that hasn’t started up your “fear of commitment engines,” I don’t know what would. The truth is, that’s a really hard feeling to deal with, much harder than the others. There is little I can say to that. This letter is to combat it as best as I can. Know now that you can rest in me. You can rest in being with me, and the security that comes with that. And I will never inhibit you from going out into the world to explore, whether that’s with or without me. I guess that’s the best I can do. So, now it is finished.
I have said all I can in those arenas. I just have one thing left to say. 

Nate, I can’t promise a perfect life, and I can’t promise easy times, but I do promise my love and my commitment to you and true uninhibited happiness. Please, consider me again. Will you be mine to hold, again? I love you and always will, no matter what your answer is. I am blessed that you have read this far, please don’t discard this without responding. 

I love you Nate.

With deepest sincerity,
Paul

March 24, 2000

Paul,

Well, I’m still in Mexico and I wasn’t exactly expecting that kind of response. That’s again a lot of information coming from you. As always I certainly appreciate your honesty and especially your sincerity.
Unfortunately my feelings still stand as they did when we parted on Sat. I can appreciate the way you are feeling and I wont pretend that I don’t share some of your feelings. So here is my response.

Commitment is obviously a major issue for me. You have always known that it is. One of the main reasons that I need to let go now is that I know that I have the potential of hurting you terribly if we stayed together. I believe in fidelity in a relationship but I also know that I am tremendously tempted sometimes. So far I’ve been good, but as I branch out and meet new people I was recognizing that I was walking a fine line. I don’t ever want to hurt you or anyone else for that matter. Trust me, it is better that we let go now. I already have.

I can’t devote all of my time to a healthy relationship right now. Not just physically being with you but the mental and emotional time that it takes. I hope this doesn’t sound remarkably cold. I don’t mean it to be. I’m just telling you where I am.

I don’t know what to tell you. It pains me that you are hurting over this issue. I don’t think you’ve digested the pill yet; maybe you’ve swallowed it, but not digested. Love is an interesting thing, no? I still want us to be friends, I still want to be able to hang out and have fun, but I would not be comfortable and neither would you if you still were pressing or hoping for something more than that. I need to be clear on that. I can’t be in a relationship with you, but I still want to remain friends. It is your call. You know that. I didn’t expect a reply like this quite this soon and I think it is still a bit soon.

I’m not sure when you will get this but I will probably be home already. Feel free to give me a call or drop me a line. I’m always willing to talk and listen.

I hope I can help. Have a great vacation!

With love your friend,
Nate


March 31, 2000


Hey Nate-

I hope this was a good week for you. I got your email back. I actually got it before I left and contemplated it while I was gone. I understand completely now where you are at and I respect that. 
You will not see another attempt of mine like that again. I hope that doesn't sound cold, it's just the way we both know it should be. 

I hope that your job is going well. The reality pill really digested while I was gone, and some things you said in your last email really helped the process. Thank you for always being honest with me.

Well, we'll have to fill each other in on our Spring Breaks later. Take care, call me if you want to do something some time.

Your friend,
Paul


And with that we did not talk for a few years.  But when we finally did reconnect the story took a strange and, in my mind, more angst-filled turns and twists.  More tomorrow . . .

11/20/08

Young Love: 2nd Installment


"There is love of course.  Then there's life, its enemy."
-Jean Anouilh


Yesterday I said that I wasn't going to narrate. I've changed my mind a little. I'm going to give a brief synopsis of what events occurred that will help fill in the gaps. After I've gotten through all of the installments I will summarize my thoughts and feelings. (I will admit right now that re-reading these have had more of an affect on me than I was hoping for!)

Kicking off the second installment, Paul and I have just returned from a weekend trip to visit my family in Grand Junction, CO. Bear in mind that I'd only come out to some of them a few weeks before. So there I was returning to introduce Paul to them. I underestimated what a stressful weekend that would be.

I have to give credit to my family though. They all handled it remarkably well for the most part. I think my expectations on them of accepting everything about my life was very aggressive, unrealistic and at some points antagonistic. So if I have any family members reading this; consider this my mea culpa.

On to the story:

Sunday Feb. 27, 2000

Nate-
I just wanted to let you know that I did have a great weekend. Yes, it was draining and often uncomfortable, but always fun and interesting. I am happier than words can express. I have come to know you very well, and this is only because you've let me. Thanks for opening up to me.

Well, good luck with your interview tomorrow, I'm sure you'll do great. I love you and I'll see
You soon.

Yours forever,
Paul

Monday Feb 28, 2000

Paul,

I’m glad that you had a good weekend. I can't even begin to tell you what an amazing time I had. It was so nice to have both lives finally start to mesh. It's stressful yet so relieving all at the same time. I understand that it was probably stressful for you at times. I think this is still part of the awkward stage of our relationship. I have to keep reminding myself that we haven't even been together for a month yet. I feel totally comfortable around you and have no problems opening up. I hope you feel the same.

My interview was not really an interview. It turned out to be just an aptitude test to see if I could read and comprehend. Ends up that I can, so hopefully I'll get an appointment next week for a real interview. It was an interesting experience.

My stepbrother got in a car accident this afternoon, so I was summoned to go to the hospital. I was at Swedish most of the evening and just got back home with my stepdad at 9.45, I'm tired.
I need to talk to you about future living arrangements. It sounds like on this end that I will be moving out sooner than i expected, so we need to discuss if we want to have any future plans. I'm quite serious about this by the way.

I hope you had a good day at work. I’m really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. I missed you today. It will be good to have some one on one time. Well, I'm going to run. Love you!

Love, Nate


Tuesday Feb 29, 2000 (leap-day)

Nat-haniel,
I always spend half the time it takes me to write an email, just filling in the "subject" part. I think I'm the luckiest guy in the whole wide world.  

I've been reminiscing on the past weekend. Now that I've had even more time to think about it, I really did enjoy myself. Your relatives are really cool. Your cousins made the drive so much fun. It's funny, in life there are many occasions which arise that make you apprehensive, but once they've happened, they usually have the best memories.  

I'm glad everyone in your family took the news well, if not good. I know not everyone knows, but they will all still love you just the same. One thing is for sure, your family is very smart and they know how to do well by you.

I hope that your stepbrother is doing well. I will pray for him and for your family. It's sad that it takes such serious things to happen in order to realize how much you value family. Well, it's that way for me, anyway.

It's a little odd to me that we've really only been together less than a month. Although, I never really based how well I know someone, or how I feel about them for that matter, off of how long I've known them. Although many of my friends do, and it's ok if you do too.  

I, of course, listened intently to everything you said while we were with your family. Never really eves dropping, except once when you were talking to your grandma, and only then for a second. Also, if I ever tell you anything you really didn't want to know, sorry!  

You don't need to say sorry to me for many reasons. One, everyone makes mistakes. I will never judge you or look down on you for ANY mistakes you make. I have imperfect eyes; they see you, who is imperfect, perfectly. It doesn't make sense to me when you say, "sorry." So please don't, I love you unconditionally. (I hope you can love me despite my horrible spelling.)
 
So,as I was listening to things you were saying this weekend, there were a couple of things I picked up on. First, your faith issues, and second, your living issues.

Where are you in your faith right now? You know how I dreamt of you being taken from me, well I haven't had the one on your faith yet. I'll be honest, if anything had the chance of taking me from you, of all things in the world, my faith would be the only one that possibly could. That may scare you a little to hear that, it may also sound familiar. Well, I want to address it. You and I have many things in common, one of those things is the fact that we both had strong faiths before we entered this period in our lives.

I even incorporated it into my philosophy paper I had to write tonight. I asked the question in the paper, "How do I know that I am leading a good life?" Not an easy question to answer. Well, what that all means is that I have found a place for you in my life that is virtually untouchable by the side of my faith that knows homosexuality is wrong.

Now be careful, don't read into the previous words, what is not there. The fact of the matter is that I love you. I love you more deeply than I have loved anyone in this sense of love, before. Many cultures have more than one word to describe love. There is love for your family, and brotherly love, and there is also true love. The kind of love written in songs, the kind of love that has been contemplated since man existed. The first kind of love, passionate love. It gives me confidence and strength.

When you whispered in my ear, "If this is what love is like, I don't know why I wasn't doing it a lot earlier," that summed up exactly how I felt. You spoke to me in words, but you also spoke to me with your heart. Often the heart cannot express what it is feeling, and when the words come out it never sounds right, but your heart communicated directly to mine. They spoke directly in their own language. I knew what you were saying, I felt it. I want you to feel confident and strong and to feel deeply loved.  

Know that you have me.

Laugh at those thoughts that distance us.  

There are two things in this world which I will die for now, my faith in Jesus Christ, and my love for you. I hope these words are sparking the, "what a beautiful relief," button and not the, "oh boy, too attached, too attached," button. See, no matter how much I sometimes want to, (and I never do when I am in my right mind), I can't read your mind. Where are you in your faith? I realize that this may be pushing a little. It is only out of love, and because I know you can handle it. Please be careful reading the words I just wrote. They mean what they say, little more, and little less.

On the next subject, living. I heard you saying to your family, "I might live with Charlie next year." Well naturally, I was thinking, "Why is he saying that?" "Maybe he wants to live with Charlie." "Maybe he's just saying that for his family." "Maybe he doesn't see living with me as a possibility." Then we realized that Charlie will have to live in the dorms next year, so that became less of an option. Well, I don't know how it will work, especially earlier than August, but I want to live with you. I don't want to live with other friends, or my parents, I want to live with you. I know that our rough weekend two weekends ago brought that a little in to doubt. We handled it perfectly though, as soon as you saw it as a problem (our heavy physical and low mental/social aspects) you addressed it. It defined quickly a much more healthy and stable relationship, one that will last much longer. 

Living with you would be great. We still have much to learn, but given that we handle each situation as well as we did the last, they shouldn't be a problem. So live with me. Yes, it's a little scary, but there would be something wrong if it wasn't. I was even across the street at my friend Leigh's place, looking at places to live next year.

Are you coming over Tuesday night, tonight? I hope you still are. I love just being with you. I want to rest with you forever in front of a warm fireplace. I thought lots about that this weekend.

If you get that job with United, do I get to travel with you for cheaper than normal?

So until we physically meet again, good-bye and I love you.

Paul


Wednesday March 1, 2000

Paul,

I can't quite figure out where to start or even what to say. Last night was very different for me. I didn't sleep a whole heck of a lot and I was fairly distracted all day today. I was tired last night, that's for sure, but I remember the feelings that I had. It's not something that I necessarily want to write about in an email. I'd rather talk to you about this in person.

I will tell you a few things. First of all some of your questions really made me wonder about the trust that you have for me. I was, to be honest, a little hurt at the notion that I would go and sleep around while we are dating. I thought you knew me better than that.

As far as commitment goes we are apparently on different pages. I'm not at the same level that you are and frankly that concerns me. Not at the level that I'm at but the level that you are willing to go already. I feel that you are definitely not being that logical about this and that scares me. We have only been dating for almost a month now, and that is not enough time to really get to know someone. I am enjoying the process but to say that I'm totally willing to be with you for the rest of my life . . . I can't say that, not yet anyway. I hope someday that I can, but that will have to be a natural process.

I hope that this doesn't stress you out. I am being honest with you. If you are expecting more out of me, I'm sorry. I am giving you all that I know how to give right now. It's scary enough for me as it is. I've never been in a relationship like this. I really hope you don't say things like this just to push my buttons or just to get a reaction out of me. If so, I would be very hurt and upset about that. Not cool.

There are still issues in our relationship, like faith, that we haven't addressed really and that is absolutely something that I’m going to have to resolve with you. Also, I know very little about your life. I realize that the circles that you hang out in are different and don't mix, but I'm not sure how I feel about that anymore. I know where you stand on that and that also scares me, so, there are things we need discuss.

I've said more already than i intended. I'll sign off for now.

Regardless, I've loved the time that we've spent together and I still love you and want to work through this. I’m not throwing in the towel by any means. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

love, Nate

11/19/08

Young Love: 1st Installment


“The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.”
-G.K. Chesterton


There is something quite magical about being in love when you are young. Life’s expectations and experiences haven’t had their opportunities to mold you into a more cautious version of yourself. When you are young you’re not as worried about being hurt. You are naively trusting and hopeful enough to throw caution to the wind.
I have been thinking a lot about this lately. I have the luxury of revisiting that young relationship I had through emails that I have saved. So I’ve decided to compile the “highlights” and share them with you. Hopefully this will take you on your own trip down memory lane, put a little grin on your face and make you a tad bit nostalgic for what was, what is, and what might have been.
A quick note before we dive in to the story, I have changed the names in the letters for reasons that will become obvious throughout. The excerpts are in chronological order and I have made a conscious decision not to narrate through any of them. They are what they are.
I will be posting these with daily installments. There is simply too much to sit down and read at one time. (Plus then I look like a prolific blogger). I think I have them separated into logical sections.
This first installment is about us reconnecting. I was 21, two months home after an LDS mission and a month out from having been excommunicated. He was 22 and wrapping up his undergraduate degree. Onto the story:

Tuesday Feb. 1, 2000:

Paul, hey there, it's me Nate Currey. Remember me? Well, I just talked to
a friend of ours tonight and he told me that you were a student at CU.
So, since we haven't talked in a really long time I guess i'll get right to
the point. I've always wondered about it and wanted to talk to you when we
were back in high school. I was just way too shy around you. I'm wondering
if you are gay or not?

Please don't be offended if you aren't. I'm just interested because I am. I just barely told my family about it all and everything is really new for me. I'm pretty excited about everything.

I'm not a Mormon anymore, they kicked me out when they found out that I was
gay, so, that's why I’m back at home now. I just got here about three weeks
ago.

I'm sure this email is really unexpected. Feel free to email me back.
I hope that everything is going well for you up in Boulder. I'm up there
all the time. Well, I need to run, it's late. Take care!
Your friend,
Nate

Wednesday Feb. 2, 2000:

Nate-

It is good to hear from you and I would like to get together some time and catch up a little. I remember our friend telling me about you in High School. I thought it was fairly ironic that our class president (weren't you?) was and is gay. I hope it doesn't bother you that I knew then, of course I kept it to my self. The way Chatfield was, you would have been lucky to survive a day being "out". Well this brings up a lot of my past that I haven't thought about in almost four years. I can't believe that much time has passed by. However, one thing hasn't changed for me, and that is my struggle with my self. This is something that I wish I had a good, clear answer for, but do not yet. Anyway, give me a call, or call my cell, and we can get together some time and chat. It is hard to get a hold of me, you can send me your number if you'd like as well. Take care.

Paul

Saturday Feb. 5, 2000

Paul,
You are an extraordinary person. I hope you know that. I appreciate your mail that I read today. It made me smile.

First, I want to tell you that I really had an enjoyable evening last night. I wasn't sure what to expect or even really what I wanted out of it, but I came home feeling great. I am really grateful that we spent the evening getting to know one another.
I think that the greatest thing that I learned about you last night is that bottom-line you have faith in your life. Regardless of how reconcilable issues may be in your life, I think it's great that you still have a set of beliefs. I also think it's great that we don't agree on everything. That would make our conversations pretty boring.

Well, anyway, like I said, thanks for the letter. I also think it would great to get to know you better. I realize that you have a pretty busy schedule, but I think it would be super if you could find time to squeeze me in every now and then.
I'll close for now. I'm glad this is timing out now and not when we were in high school. Don't ask me why, it just seems a lot better now.

Thanks for everything. Let me know what your plans are!

Take Care!

Your friend,
Nate

Sunday Feb 6, 2000

Hey Nate-

Well, I appreciate all that you said in that last email to me. In the same way, I really think that you are an extraordinary person as well. It was like a breath of fresh air talking to someone who not only understood me, but also had very many of the same thoughts. I also enjoyed the fact that we disagreed. It does make things more interesting.

I am definately interested in getting together later this week.

To be honest with you Nate, I'm really excited about getting to know someone who is as intelligent and honest and real as you. There are few out there like yourself. Until I see you again, take care.

Paul

Thursday Feb. 10, 2000

Paul,
Well, here's my first psycho letter to you. Sorry I was short with you on the phone. You know how cell phones are.

So, I find myself sitting here and thinking about how darn fun last night was. I'm really enjoying this and just wanted to tell you that one more time. I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow. By the way:

strasdvuitia,
menya zavoot Nate.
Kak tebyaa zavoot?
Kak ti pashivaesh?
ochen horosho?
mnye priatno!
tebya loobloo.

Enough of that, just a review so you wont forget by tomorrow. I hope you are having a great time at Bible study. I'm thinking of you.

-nate

Friday Feb. 11, 2000

Nate-

I don't know exactly when you will get this, but I wanted to reply none the less. Thanks for the refresher on Russian. I actually spoke it to my friend Jennifer, who is fluent. She really enjoyed it. I'm sitting here contemplating the finer things in life, and all that life is... I enjoy myself completely when I am with you and at this very moment I feel like telling you and the whole world for that matter, that you are awesome and that I care very deeply for you. I told my roommate and his boyfriend about you tonight - they were both surprised and excited, but always supportive. I guess there are a million roads that our friendship could now head down, but there is only one I wish for. Until then, take care, I will see you soon - even if you don't get this email till after your trip.

always,
Paul

Saturday Feb 12, 2000 (After I’ve arrived in Seattle for a trip)

Paul,
Good morning. What a day yesterday. What a wonderful day. I can't believe how much I love just being with you. You are really a special person to me already. I think that's why I didn't want to get on that flight yesterday.

I would much rather be there with you. I would much rather spend the night
with you than stay with someone I haven't seen in 3 years. I'm so grateful for all of the things that make you unique.

Anyway, enough of that for now, just know that I love being with you and I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. Have a great Saturday.

with love,
Nate

Saturday Feb 12, 2000

Paul,

I just talked to my Mom and she said that it would be difficult for her to pick me up from the airport, so . . .

You are really way too good to me. If you could pick me up that would be great. Apparently my truck is dead, so I'll have to get that looked at.
My friend and I have had fun doing a little shopping on your behalf. I think he's sick of hearing about you but oh well. Everyone here thinks that you are wonderful. I'm going out to a play tonight and then dinner and will look for your mail when I get home tonight. 

Hope you have a great evening and a good time at Church tomorrow.

yours,
Nate

Sunday Feb 13, 2000

Hey Nate-

I just got back from a "dateless wonder" party with my college group. It was a lot of fun. They are all trying to hook me up with one of the girls there and I told them that I already have an "interest". I kept it at that though. Can you guess who that "interest" is? You better be able to. 

Well, I also received all your flight info and I will plan on picking you up at 2:45. Let me know if you don't make it, otherwise I will be at the gate at 2:45. I hope all went well and that you are still having a great time. Until I see you again, be good and take care, and stop annoying everyone with talk about me! I will check my email tomorrow morning, but I plan on picking you up unless you call to tell me otherwise.

Happy that you are coming back because it feels like you've been gone forever, Paul

11/5/08

Snowfall



Walking out of class tonight, I passed under a lonely streetlamp that was illuminating the falling snow in a perfect cone of light. Large, wet flakes were blanketing the sidewalk with a fresh, undisturbed layer of snow. There is something magical listening to the silence of snow gently falling. Something peaceful and pure. Clean and new.

10/20/08

Tribalism




9:10 left in the fourth quarter and my Broncos are down 7-34 against the Patriots. At this point I’m tempted to change the channel (even though I know I wont). Both my ex and my cat know that when the Broncos lose to leave me alone for at least two hours and sometimes up to a week.

I’m convinced that in order to be born in the Centennial State and particularly the Mile High City that you have to sign a contract to be a Broncos fan for life. But what is it that makes Denver such a wonderfully crazy sports town? It’s tribalism. At least it’s as close as we get here in the good old U.S.A.

When I lived in Vilnius, Lithuania I visited a family every month to make sure they were doing well, still coming to church and hadn’t killed each other yet. They were a mixed marriage, which was rare. The wife was Lithuanian and the husband was a very staunch Russian (their poor son). He was loud, obnoxious and we argued very loudly almost every time I went to eat dinner. I totally loved them.

One day as I was taking off my shoes upon entering their apartment, he shouted down the hall, “Currey, what are you?” To which I responded that I was a missionary. He wasn’t satisfied and asked what nationality I was. “I’m American.” I shouted back. He was indignant at this answer and said that there was no such thing. We went the rounds about this and finally I answered that I was Irish. This seemed to be the right answer in his mind and he smiled broadly. “So there! You’re Irish!” “No, I’m American.”

Then he shouted the word “отечество”. I hadn’t heard this word so I looked it up – Fatherland. “You Americans don’t understand this word. You don’t have a sense of it and that is why you will never understand the rest of the world.”

He was right. We as an American nation are all pretty much mutts. We don’t have a common ethnic heritage. We are a migrant nation. We don’t even sit still for long within our own nation. My Lithuanian and Russian couple could trace their lineage back over a thousand years in relatively the same area. I can trace my Colorado heritage back exactly three generations. Then it heads to Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. I’ve never even been to any of those states.

As most people know, I am fiercely proud to be from Denver. They also know that I will most likely never live there again. As an American, I’m not tied down to any particular area with a sense of Fatherland. But, no matter where I live, I will always have the Broncos to claim as my tribe.

10/17/08

The Unknown Soldier


I am older now than my father was when his father passed away. I barely remember my grandfather. I was five when he died. From the stories countless family members have told, he loved his grandkids very much, but also loved his liquor. He served in the navy during World War II and in the Army during the Korean conflict. When he returned home from duty, he worked with the United States Geological Survey on the Nevada Test Range. He was an eyewitness to countless mushroom clouds above ground and seemingly endless instrument readings below. And of course, in the end, it was cancer that did him in.

Among his children and grandchildren, he has almost a legendary rock star status. One like Janis Joplin or Jim Morrison, those that were gone before their time. It was his namesake that made us passionately proud to be Irish and to be from Colorado. My grandfather was cremated and shortly thereafter, one of my uncles took his ashes and decided to spread them around grandpa’s favorite fishing hole on the Grand Mesa in Western Colorado. This one act made him the pariah of the family for life and deprived the rest of us from saying goodbye as a family.

Almost 21 years later the first Veterans Memorial Cemetery was opened in Western Colorado. My family decided to have a memorial headstone placed. Although we know his body is not there, for the first time since his death we have a physical place to gather to commemorate and reflect upon his life. And so, on a brisk, late fall morning, my father and I decided that just the two of us would go and visit his headstone.

It was a perfect Colorado morning. Blue sky above with cirrus clouds sweeping as high as they could overhead. The leaves had all fallen off the newly planted trees and the tightly cut grass was doing its best to stay green. My dad and I had brought some tracing paper and some charcoal to try our hands at a rubbing on grandpa’s marker.

As we were kneeling in front of the headstone, both our hands touching the top of the granite I couldn’t help but reflect that this was the first time the three of us had been together in a long time. The experience that autumn morning was all the more poignant for my father who was in a sense reunited with his past with his future at his side.

After we were satisfied with a few rubbings of the stone, we stood up and I gazed toward the Grand Mesa and thanked God for my family right there under that beautiful Colorado morning sky.

10/15/08

Sugarhouse and the Feds





It’s one thing for a community to be buffaloed by a developer; it’s entirely different to be buffaloed by the Federal Government. The expansion of the Frank E. Moss Federal Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City has been ten years in the making and still counting. The glowing, white cube of progress for the Federal Court System in Utah will quite literally uproot one historic building (the Odd Fellows) and flatten another (the Shubrick). While there are upsides to the project for the overall downtown area, I am left scratching my head as to the short-term implications this expansion will have.

With the advent of new security rules for federal buildings after the events of September 11, 2001, the Shubrick building suddenly found itself in the crosshairs of demolition. Greater setbacks are now required for federal buildings and the footprint of the expansion overlays the current location of the Shubrick. The initial plans for the Moss expansion kept the Shubrick intact. A subsequent environmental study found no issues with tearing the historic building down. I find it astonishing that no subsequent economic impact statement was submitted on the issue. Are we to believe that it is just dumb luck that the Odd Fellows building survived demolition simply because it has an historical easement placed on it? Apparently so.

The Odd Fellows building is the bright point of this entire project. Not only has a beautiful historic building been saved, the sheer engineering feat of relocating the building across the street is tremendous. Not only does this move get rid of an unseemly surface parking lot, it bolsters the street wall along the north side of Market Street. When sold (at a loss by the feds), the building has the potential to bolster the burgeoning nightlife of the area.

The view plane on the south side of the street will not be as inviting or pedestrian friendly. While I’m certain the new building the GSA will erect will be stunning (particularly at night), the setbacks required on the block will almost completely erase any sense of density that the north side has. What is particularly grievous for me is that this is on a mid-city block, which has more of a feel of a dense, urban city than do our main arterials throughout downtown.

My biggest concern about the project is that it has the potential to be a Mecham/Sugarhouse debacle on a much larger scale. Odd Fellows will be moved by the end of the year, and if the Shubrick is demolished next year then we are really in for trouble. That would leave us with an almost empty block with no federal dollars for construction of the expansion until 2010 at least. With the current financial situation in the U.S., there is no guarantee that the groundbreaking date wont be pushed back even farther due to budget cuts. Which would leave the community watching a really painful race between buffaloes.

(I wrote this for an urban planning class last week)