Here’s To The Ones Who Want To Take Things Slow

Here’s to the ones who take it slow.

Not because they don’t like you and they’re trying just to delay the inevitable. They’re not trying to let you down easy when they say they want to go slow — really, it’s the opposite, because they like you so much, and that’s terrifying to say. That’s too much, too soon, isn’t it? Is it everything they’re fighting against? Is that what they call ironic?

And it’s not because they’re unsure about you. They’re as sure as anyone ever could be that this is something special, that this could be something real. They’re not sure that you think so, too, but they’re hopeful, you know. That you could feel this way, that this could be something more than a crazy little crush, a silly little fling. Here’s to the ones who want it to last longer than that. Who want to drag out the minutes until they turn into days and months and years.

Maybe taking things slow is protection, their way of playing it safe. Not that they’re afraid that you’ll hurt them, but you never know, you know? Because no matter how many times we can each promise it, no matter how good our intentions, somebody will slip up somewhere down the line. Not that we mean to, not that we’re looking to do it, but sometimes the most painful things come out of honest ignorance and careless neglect. And maybe if you take things slow, you can watch every step as you go. But still, if we overanalyze everything, will we even get anywhere at all?

When we’re little kids, we’re taught to take our time with stuff. To make sure that we’re doing it right, that we’re not making any mistakes as we go. But life is full of mistakes, no matter how careful you are, and anyway, as you get older, it seems like you can’t wait to grow up and do everything you can. That there’s so much living left to do, and we have to see it all and do it all before it’s too late. It’s smart, in a way, because you never do really know if and when and where things may end. They always could.

But those lazy weekend mornings are just as good as taking a road trip to nowhere just because we can, and these people — these dreamers, the ones who take it slow — will want to hold onto how it feels like their heart is about to jump out of their chest when you call, and they’ll want to learn and relearn the cadences of your voice and your favorite book and your favorite quotes and your favorite movie and why.

Maybe taking things slow is just their way of pretending that not everything comes to an end. After all, it doesn’t have to. And you won’t know that, really, you were doomed from the start until you get to the end.

So here’s to the ones who just start anyway, and see where they end up. Maybe there’s no brakes, maybe there’s no way to take things any way other than how we take them. Maybe you’re meant to fall hard and fast, as some people always do with everything. Here’s to the ones who are sorry if it seems obsessive, who are sorry if it seems crazy. But we are all a little crazy, you know, and we go even crazier for the things we — well, the things we’re crazy about.

Like you.

Because here’s to the ones who know what they like, and who can find a way to say it in their own quiet way. To the ones who like someone so much it scares them, and who freeze when they hear that one voice, and who think that maybe, if you just take things slow, you can come back up to speed together.

But mostly, here’s to the ones who want to take things slow with you because when you find something good, you want to hold on, and the very last thing you want is to reach the end of the rope. Not ever, not anytime soon, not now when you could take things slow.