He fills me up
He gives me love
More love than I’ve ever seen
He’s all I’ve got
He’s all I’ve got in this world
But he’s all the man that I need
All The Man I Need ~ Whitney

Saturday night while we were riding the bus to Navy Pier we sat next to an older black couple. It was obvious that they were married AND out on a date. They were so cute. They were holding hands and she was laying her head on his shoulder during the entire ride. When they got off the bus they kept holding hands and told us that they were going to a restaurant to listen to live music and eat dinner….a date.

The more we walked around, the more dates we saw. We decided that Navy Pier is the PERFECT date spot. You could walk around, eat dinner, sit and have some ice cream, spend some time talking and getting to know each other better…all that jazz. So we people watched. We got us some ice cream cones and hung out on the benches. We saw couples dressed alike, couples sharing ice cream, couples with dogs, couples hugged up and kissing, couples walking 10 feet apart from each other, etc. So I laughed with my cousin and told her that I can’t imagine she and her husband holding hands or hugging in public. She told me that he doesn’t do public displays of affection. She pointed out a couple walking together but slightly apart and talking and said that they resembled them the most. I laughed.

Raulo said that she’d rather have a man who paid the bills than one who held her hand in public. See, Raulo believes in settling (to a certain extent). She says that you will NEVER find a man who has everything you want so you have to decide what’s most important and settle for that. Her top priorities were someone who was smart and pays the bills. (Because remember, he can’t be smart, pay bills, AND hug you while y’all watch fireworks.)

I listened intently but while she was talking I toyed with the idea of adding “holds hands” to my wishlist. I think that would be sweet ya know? Having date nights and him showing his affection for me by holding my hand or hugging me or kissing me on the cheek. There’s something about him touching my hands while he’s talking or intertwining our fingers while we walk down the street that just makes me smile on the inside. I feel happy at that moment….full like the song says.

What about y’all? How do you feel about public displays of affection? Do you hug and kiss with your man/woman out in public? Do you like to hold hands? Is it a big no-no for you? Does it turn you off if the person doesn’t do it?