Love aka the Mad Hatter's Tea Party

I think of being in love, somewhat close to being at the Mad Hatter's tea party. Very volatile, very exciting and absolutely adventurous - but, only if you are Alice.

The Mad Hatter is certainly nobody's idea of a dream lover even if he turns out to be Captain Jack Sparrow who goes by the name of, Johnny Depp in real life.

But, when he says, "have I gone mad?"

My blood gushes at the speed of a Monsoon waterfall. This is it! It is my version of bungee jumping or paragliding over jagged cliffs.

From the time I was in school and observing friends, enemies and nobodies falling in love, I always did a little jig in my mind.

"Here they go..."

Soon to follow would be the pink candies, the fluffy bunnies and tears... Yuck! It seemed that all love begot were tears.

Finally, I graduated to an adult and started observing the world with slightly more "grown-up" eyes. Love was still the wee toddler. The cards, the chocolates and the self-compiled cassettes of love songs did not cease nor did the tears and the tirades.

I decided to read up about love but, no one it seems was able to describe it properly. I read "romance" and "tragedies" and "comedies" but, even my professors could not give a proper explanation.

Then, there were the spiritual poets and philosophers who were mixing it all up!

After a while, most of the people I grew up with got married and went their humdrum ways.

So, I thought, 'finally the age of love is over!'

Off I went jumping, hopping and skipping on the way to being a grown up. Always ensuring that love did not touch me. I never wanted to be crying the way all those people had been in toilets, school grounds and canteens, literally all over the place.

I still remember writing an anti-column in the newspaper I worked for, against love. It was pretty vitriolic and funny. At least I thought so.

I never collected love letters. They either went down the loo for fear of being caught or got lost in some purse that got thrown away. The electronic ones disappeared with the change of email address. Even the poetry sent out is lost in crashed hard discs and irretrievable. - I am sorry to all concerned.

I don't let break-ups become heart breaks. It is a lesson that has stood me in good stead and helped me value my own company. If anything the self-discipline has made me respect myself.

But, Mad Hatter! Now, he is different.

I had this inspiration last night when I was turning in, "am I missing a great tea party by any chance? Am I?"

Well! As Alice said, " I knew who I was in the morning but, I have changed a few times since then..."

Still wondering. Can love really be the Mad Hatter's tea party? Is it different for different people?