Love you

Dear Diary, 

This past week I was faced with a very difficult challenge. It was not the challenge, that required me to swim a lake full of alligators or jump through a hoop of fire--worse, I was challenged to to tell my parents I love them. Do not get me wrong, I do indeed love my parents, but those three words are not really included in our 'things to say' dictionary. In fact, I don't think those three words are part of my dialect at all! I do not do well in awkward settings, and I am visioning the encounter as err awkward! Even awkward is an understatement!

The challenge transpired through a discussion in my 'Foundation of Prayers Class'.The teacher went on a tangent and spontaneously asked the class "With a raise of hand, who here says 'I love you' to your parents?" About three/four students raised their hands. Umm yuck? I did one of those gross emoticon faces--mortified. I did not expect any high school boy to still express such feelings to his parents! But those kids were equally shocked that such few people had their hands raised. The bell rang, and as I was racing out of that dreadfully boring class, my teacher called out "I challenge you to say 'I love you' to your parents". Grr! That was like asking me to say Mom, Dad..FUCK YOU. I just cannot say those words, in that order, with the intended meaning!

When my father walked into the house at his usual 7:00 Monday night, I had just finished solving a Calculus problem and was so fly and confident. I go downstairs into the kitchen and have the usual two second conversation with my father which begins with my father asking about my day and concludes with my answer, 'Good'. But this time I was motivated!"I was going to say it!" I thought. My mom was sitting by her desk talking to my dad, and as I was preparing myself, about to say those three words, I found myself in my room two seconds later. 

It has been about one week since that class, and I have not attempted the challenge since. I express my love in different ways. My parents know I love them, and I know they love me. If I were to quit being such a wussy and tell them, it would probably mean a lot to them though. For now, I am just going to continue with the existing dialogue in the 'things to say dictionary' and hope my parents know I love them.

P.S.- Mom, Dad if you do ever happen to find this blog of mine--Love ya!! Challenge completed? I think so

Oh and just on an unrelated note--The only Israel School I applied to closed down because of a dearth of applications. So apparently I am not going to Israel for the year. Phew--that takes a huge responsibility off my shoulders! Go recession! (urgh kidding)