In writing, there’s a saying. “Exclamation points are a lot like printing money; the more you make, the less they’re worth!!!!!!!!” This theory of diluted value by overuse or excess is even true in our everyday lives. Just think about diamonds and other rare stones. No one would pay thousands of dollars if they became as common as gravel.  Yet, I must admit, as a teenager, I didn’t worry too much about this concept, especially when it came to kissing. Back then, I saw it as more of an experiment—a very fun lip-locking experiment. And since the best experiments require a wide range of test subjects, I sometimes found myself smooching boys just for the heck of it.            

It wasn’t until college, and I met my husband, that I realized how foolish I’d been. For months, while we were just friends, I watched how kind and courteous he was to the female gender. He dated, went to dances, and hung out, yet he wasn’t like other guys.  He never kissed.

Once I decided my interest in him had changed beyond friendship, I elbowed my way to the front of the pack. (I am many things—shy is not one of them.)

It only took only a few weeks of dating for me to figure out that I had caught one dandy of a farm boy, but we still had never kissed. Finally, one night, as he turned to leave after having walked me to my door, I said, “Aren’t you ever going to kiss me?”

“Well, there’s a problem with that…” (Right about now, my heart was sinking)  “…If I do, you’ll never get rid of me.”  

You see, as a young man, he had made up his mind never to kiss anyone except his wife. If I kissed him, I would be his first, and his last. A rare pucker up indeed, one that went well beyond the common worthless kisses I’d indulged in throughout the years to satisfy my curiosity. 

It only took a moment for me to consider what he was offering. Anyone who made such a promise to themselves, then had the tenacity to follow it through, was my kind of man—committed. I laid one on him and never looked back.

Now here’s the important part I want you take away from this story. That first kiss wasn’t overly flashy with a lot of built up sexual tension like you see in the movies. What made that kiss riveting, and the many that have followed, is knowing they are all mine. No one else will ever experience them but me. I hope you’ll consider that before you make the same mistake I did, and dilute your kisses by sharing them with almost every person you meet.