Does Curly actually have this Love Thing right?

[sHrinking_man]

The exchange below is from the movie "City Slickers." It involves a scene where Curly (the legendary grizzly ol wise cowboy) gives his thoughts on "Love"

Mitch the neurotic City Slicker and Curly the grizzly old cowboy with a broad smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye:

Mitch: You ever been in love?

Curly: Once. I was driving a herd across the panhandle. Texas. Passed near this little dirt farm right about sundown. Out in the field was this young woman, working down in the dirt. Just about then she stood up to stretch her back. She was wearing a little cotton dress, and the settin’ sun was right behind her, showing the shape that God had give her.

Mitch: What happened?

Curly: I just turned around and rode away.

Mitch: Why?

Curly: I figured it wasn’t gonna get any better than that.

Mitch: But you could have been, you know…with her.

Curly: Been with lots of women.

Mitch: Yeah, but you know, she could have been the love of your life.

Curly: She is.

[GLYC]

Not really.

Some Men do tend to give their heart away easily after one date, they start to think about how damn attractive she is which is a major selling point for men, then they think, how she will look in her wedding dress, what their kids will look like, etc.

I feel like women are better at this, they tend to hold off with more of a "I'm just trying to figure this person out right now", and by playing it moment by moment.

Course there are exceptions.
Honestly we all shouldn't give our heart away so easily, all early stage lovers should be on dating Probation where we evaluate them. By men and women.

[TheEvilJester]

I have to admit, I was tempted to go with yes or maybe. I've had to accept my own dark fate and let go of the hope that I could possibly ever find love. So, part of me wanted to say yes, it was so much better not to try because it would likely only end in heart-ache anyway. Because now he can always cherish that perfect memory, that perfect image of love.

....But, I can't agree with that as much as I may want. I may not believe true love exists for me.... but I've found that doesn't also mean I don't believe it exists. I still do believe in it, and I think for those able to find it, it can be the greatest thing in the world. So, I can't agree with Curly's thoughts on that. Though.... it seems it worked just fine for him, so I can't begrudge him that either. I can't say he was foolish or stupid because it seemed like that was what was right for him. That's a peace of mind I envy.

Side note...

Is it just a coincidence you are referencing this movie? Because our "move club" over in the off topic boards actually just recently covered this movie.

[sHrinking_man]

I have to admit, I was tempted to go with yes or maybe. I've had to accept my own dark fate and let go of the hope that I could possibly ever find love. So, part of me wanted to say yes, it was so much better not to try because it would likely only end in heart-ache anyway. Because now he can always cherish that perfect memory, that perfect image of love.

....But, I can't agree with that as much as I may want. I may not believe true love exists for me.... but I've found that doesn't also mean I don't believe it exists. I still do believe in it, and I think for those able to find it, it can be the greatest thing in the world. So, I can't agree with Curly's thoughts on that. Though.... it seems it worked just fine for him, so I can't begrudge him that either. I can't say he was foolish or stupid because it seemed like that was what was right for him. That's a peace of mind I envy.

Side note...

Is it just a coincidence you are referencing this movie? Because our "move club" over in the off topic boards actually just recently covered this movie.

Haha! Wow! Thanks so much for your response! It was very well thought out and conveyed! And as for referencing the same movie, like the saying goes "great minds think alike!" ;-)

[TheEvilJester]

Haha! Wow! Thanks so much for your response! It was very well thought out and conveyed! And as for referencing the same movie, like the saying goes "great minds think alike!" ;-)

For your own sake, I hope you are not referring to me there. Because, to compare your mind to mine would be quite a SCARY prospect for you. LOL! Good grief, I would not wish that on my worst enemy.

[breathe123]

Can't really vote because IMO she can't be the love of his life if he never spoke to her, didn't even know her age or if married. He was attracted to her but to me not in love with her ~ maybe IDEA of her.

[pcmaster]

Can't really vote because IMO she can't be the love of his life if he never spoke to her, didn't even know her age or if married. He was attracted to her but to me not in love with her ~ maybe IDEA of her.

Yeah its crazy. Maybe he missed her while thinking about her.

[Hooo!]

Nö. Stupid ****.
You can't love anyone whom you have just met.
He knows nothing of love.

[dollhouse]

Ugh ^ 2 up.

Were you reading our movie talk on this movie, sHrinking_man?

Can't be love.. in a concrete sense if he didn't invest any time to really know her and make it real for him and for her.

[TheEvilJester]

I guess, though, you could technically argue she was the love of HIS life because he'd never loved anybody like that before or since. It's kind of like saying if the most money you've ever made in your life at a particular job was the minimum wage.... well, that may not seem like a lot of money to most of us.... but it's still the most money you've ever made in your life.

So, to him, maybe she was the love of his life simply because he loved her as much as he was willing to allow himself to love any woman. It just strikes me as being very sad. Though... again, Hell, what do I know? Maybe he's onto something. I could certainly be a lot less miserable if I weren't such a hopeless romantic. If I could be happy just to have loved somebody from afar a long time ago and never had anything more.

[Hooo!]

Which doesn't make it any better

[TheEvilJester]

I definitely agree. Seems, though, Curly would disagree, though. LOL! In other words, it seemed like he truly and fully believed that. So, Hell... if it works for him.

Of course, he's a fictional character. LOL! I couldn't imagine somebody in real life actually voluntarily never wanting to even so much as try to find love. Giving up on it, that I can understand... but to never even really want it in the first place, or be perfectly okay without even trying to experience it... that I can't really even fathom.

[Hooo!]

Even as a fictional character I don't get the message.
What is the message?
That you shouldn't even try? That some women are beyond your reach? That some things are just not meant to be? That someone you don't know will have been the (only) love of your life?

I find those messages appaling.
And I don't see how to interpret this in a good way

[TheEvilJester]

I think, maybe, that Curly's point was that you have to do what's right for you. In other words, it seems that Curly truly felt in his heart that his ways are what were right for him. The life of the cowboy, I think as they put it. (Though, in fairness, cowboys in real life aren't exactly what they portray in the movies.) So, to him, he felt that to pursue love would have taken away from that. I don't think he's saying it is better for people to not even try.... he's saying that it was better for HIM.

Believe me, I still agree with you. Just trying to see if I can understand why maybe he felt that way. Again, kind of a moot point since he is a fictional character, though. LOL!

[sHrinking_man]

I think, maybe, that Curly's point was that you have to do what's right for you. In other words, it seems that Curly truly felt in his heart that his ways are what were right for him. The life of the cowboy, I think as they put it. (Though, in fairness, cowboys in real life aren't exactly what they portray in the movies.) So, to him, he felt that to pursue love would have taken away from that. I don't think he's saying it is better for people to not even try.... he's saying that it was better for HIM.

Believe me, I still agree with you. Just trying to see if I can understand why maybe he felt that way. Again, kind of a moot point since he is a fictional character, though. LOL!

EJ - Wow! I'm thinking that you could've "saddled up", and been right at home on the range driving those herds across the Pan Handle w/ Curly himself! ;-). I see your point, and yet also believe that with all the ups and downs, joys & sorrows, heartbreak & heart's sake of being in a relationship, Curly may have had it right for his idea of what inspired him about love and relationship. Now GiddyUP already! ;-)