What an amazing thing a kiss is.  I’m not talking about a peck on the cheek, or a kiss goodnight to a child or even a perfunctory kiss to a relative.  I’m not talking about a kiss from a dog or a kiss in Paris on both cheeks or even a kiss blown across a room.  I’m talking about one of those whoppers – you know, one of those love-sealing, romantic, Inspirational music kind of kisses that ends movies, starts babies and puts the stamp on the greatest four-letter word in the history of mankind – love.

When two people kiss with romantic intention, well, it’s just a beautiful thing.  When I grew up I was instructed, by God knows who, to ‘kiss like Clark Gable kisses’.  So I watched all his movies to learn from the master.  And the first time I saw him do it, he grabbed that woman and laid one on her with full intention, no holds barred and a kind of intensity that was actually thrilling to watch.  She became a ragdoll in his hands, overwhelmed by his manhood.  That Gable guy, he could kiss.

It wasn’t one of those modern “I’ll clean your teeth if you clean mine” kind of kisses; it was just a good solid smash on the mouth.  No mouthwash was even exchanged, but it carried with it intention and symbolized a world of breathtaking imagination.

Since then I’ve watched many other kisses and thrilled to the moments along with everyone else.  I’ve also had the delightful opportunity to practice a few myself and have found the experience absolutely up to the standards of the movies.  I threw away the Gable maneuver pretty early in life, preferring instead to make it an original expression of my own heart.

I’ve always likened it to the experience of eating ice cream.  It never got old, it was always one of the great acts of life and it melted in the mouth.

It is absolutely one of the greatest of human inventions – right up there with the wheel, the skyscraper and the Internet.  It is a fascinating combination of a rare mixture of the spiritual and the physical on the human plane.  It puts the exclamation point on love and, let’s face it, simply feels real good.

Why the lips?  Why not rub ears or trade the butterfly kisses of the eyes?  Holding hands is akin to kissing, but, though very pleasant and sweet, really doesn’t hold a candle to kissing.  Petting, etc. is great too, but comes often with some confusion and difficulty of management.  But the kiss lies somewhere in the middle of it all – innocent enough, even still, to avoid chaos (except in the heart) and serious enough (most of the time) to convey the intention of love – that which all human beings seek.

Whether it’s dry, sloppy, quick, shy, intense, missed, or passionate, the kiss is fundamental to our existence.  I was speaking to a woman not so long ago and out of her mouth popped this confession.  “I haven’t kissed anyone in years.”  My heart sank with sadness for her.  A philanthropic part of me wanted to grab her and plant a Gable on her lips right there on the spot, but I knew that that physical act was not what she missed.

Rather it was the love expressed behind it, leading up to it and the aftermath of it.  It is the ultimate stamp of approval, the human symbol for love that is to romance what the signature is to business.  It signifies the opening of the heart.  It opens the door to the heart and encourages love to pass through.

It is a very good thing.