Wednesday, November 13, 2013

A wedding reading for an introvert


When one has been at great pains for half one's life to secure independence for one's self, as I found it necessary to do, one has to accept the disadvantages of the situation as well. One cannot have the one without the other. 

Among these disadvantages is the fact that no one can tell from appearances what are the things I lack... [If I were to marry] I require (1) Some one to superintend my digestion, (2) Somebody who can laugh with me and who has cheerful spirits, (3) Some one who is proud of my company and who constrains others to treat me with becoming respect, (4) Some one who can read aloud to me without making a book sound idiotic. 

It is precisely we solitary ones that require love and companions in whose presence we may be open and simple, and the eternal struggle of silence and dissimulation can cease. Yes, I am glad that I can be myself, openly and honestly with you, for you are such a good friend and companion... 

Though I may seem at times somewhat distant from you, through the gray mist of my own moods, I am never far; my thoughts always circle around you. 

—Friedrich Nietzsche


Says our lovely, anonymish friend:

It was a mashup of a few different passages, and it seems long but clocked in at just under 2 minutes. Since the letters were written in the first person, I opted to read them myself. I never would've guessed those words would be what moved me to tears!


Note: The words pictured above belong to Nietzsche, but they are different words. Beginning something like, "Smooth is is a paradise / For those who know how to dance."

9 comments:

  1. as an introvert who married an introvert, my eyes welled up on the second to last paragraph and then full on cried after the last paragraph. what a lovely reading choice!

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  2. yes. this is great.

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  3. I can completely identify with this!

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  4. Lovely reading. Although the letter printed (in german) has in no way anything to do with weddings though :) (it starts, roughly translated: smooth ice is a paradise for those who know how to dance)

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    1. yeah, i almost added a postscript re: that but decided not to bother

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  5. Fantastic. Thanks for sharing it!

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  6. I love this.

    As an aside, I just sent it to my husband and he replied with:

    'Had to read it on my phone as work blocks East Side Bride under the category "ADULTSEX"...'

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    1. Ha! i find it funny that i can't access victorias secrets at work (on my phone - it gets blocked), but i can access 'my maid of honour is a c*nt'???

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