The Proposal - August 31st, 2009

Dalila, will you marry me?

The proposal

Fred Ehrhart

I love my girlfriend very much. I try to prove this to her whenever I can, but I knew for my proposal I would have to top anything I have done in the past. I knew that I would need some help. So I find myself typing this list, for all SheKnows readers to see, of the top 10 reasons why I not only love Dalila, but why her accepting this proposal is the right thing to do. Hopefully with your help I can convince her to say yes, but first I need to convince you to take the effort to help me and hopefully this list will prove to you that Dalila is the one for me.

Persistence -- When we first met in college, the thing that separated Dalila from all the rest of the girls I had met was her persistence. There were a lot of girls in that school, and I didn’t want to be held down to one, so I turned down her initial advances at me. But she kept coming. Even after multiple rejections from me, she knew that I was what she wanted and she did not stop until she had me. Once I saw the determination and the resolve she had to get me, I realized that she was worth the time, and have never regretted it since. Since she persisted in getting me, I see it only fit that I try to make her accept my proposal in every way I possibly can.
Hair -- Dalila has the most beautiful yet craziest head of hair I have ever seen. She has complicated tight curls that have many tints and intricacies to them, each strand containing its own personality. If there is one thing that people notice about her when they first meet, it’s always the hair. Many a time people have asked her if it was real or if she spent hours to look that way. I’ve never meet another person whose hair has as much personality. Her hair is what I first noticed when I met her, and to this day is still a major part of my most fond memories of her.
Family -- Dalila’s loyalty to her family almost makes me feel guilty for my loyalty to my own. There is nothing in life that she does where she doesn’t consider family first, and always looks to help them in any way she can. And her family is full of wonderful and loving people who are the kindest and most genuine people I have met in a lifetime. I would very much like to consider them part of my own family.
Temper -- Dalila has a temper a mile wide. She is so full of life, passion, and energy that if she does not have an outlet it can manifest itself in the wrong way. Much like a superhero or atomic energy, she is capable of great good, but can lead to great destruction if not treated with care. I need to be there for her when tempers flare to bring her back down from critical meltdown.
Head in the clouds, feet on the ground -- Dalila is the constant optimist. There is nothing she can’t overcome, and she wants to accomplish so much, but can get carried away on her own. I am the constant realist, calculating, analytical, and efficient. Together we balance out each others flaws and are capable of so much.
Shoulder aka pillow -- Without my shoulder to lean on, Dalila would never have a good place to rest her head on the subway. Her hair would probably get caught in gum or in the train doors and she would never get a good nap. For the sake of her health alone she needs me for emotional and upper lumbar support.
Projects -- Dalila loves undertaking new projects. From sewing to cooking to tea ceremonies to painting and so much more, she loves keeping busy and being productive. No one needs more work done to them than me. My hair is constantly a mess, I still mostly wear the same clothing I did when I was in high school (Not the same style mind you, the same actual articles of clothes), I have tons of collectables that I do nothing with, and my desk is just a mess. I need to be her project and she will always have something to do with me around.
Love letters -- When we were in College and when we first started seeing each other, Dalila used to write me love letters all the time. They were never sappy poetry or contrived, they were always from the heart, to the point, and memorable. I remember one time I bought her a journal as a gift (an actual journal, pen and paper, not a blog), and not only did she fill the entire book, front and backs of pages with entries about me and her, but she gave it to me to keep when she was done. I always loved these letters, so I though it was only fair that I wrote her one.
Her childlike enthusiasm -- I can’t really put words to this point as it’s rather hard to explain. Let’s just says that Dalila sees the world through lenses of a different color. I wish I could still see the wonderment in things that she does. She will understand what I mean if she reads this more than anyone else.
Love -- It’s totally contrived and predictable for me to say it, but it’s hard to argue with the truth. I love Dalila with everything I got. I’m certain she feels the same. Regardless of the last nine reasons, this is the only one that really counts, but I hope the other nine helped prove that I really do love her to those of you who are reading this.
I hope that you all have read my list and agree with me that Dalila should accept my proposal and marry me. But I need your help, because Dalila is not just going to listen to a few people telling her it’s the right thing to do. Please post to your Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and anything else you can with the Hash tag #SayYesD and tell your friends to do the same. Link back to this page and show people my list so they can understand how much I love Dalila. We are going to aggregate all your messages and show Dalila how many people think she should say yes.