Pieces of My Heart or the Random Theory of 3 (The Canvas/La Pensadora)

Earlier this summer something happened with that brought about my thoughts about love that brought about this tattoo. Somehow (I know, but you don't need to... not just yet) my theory of three came up again, I was forced to really think about what I was saying, and I decided that it was something I had to believe in to truly have faith in the undefinable concept of love.

This theory started a long time ago when I saw a very interesting movie called A Bronx Tale. Directed by Robert DeNiro with a bunch of big, bald Italian dudes that were Sopranos stars before The Sopranos even existed, A Bronx Tale is no where near the category of being one of my favorite movies. A basic story of "growing up Italian in the Bronx" without any real drama, action, or subplot with heavy-handed "morals" about staying in school, staying true to yourself, and love knows no color, this movie was one of those B-movies that got pushed to 10pm Sunday night tv slots and Walgreens shelves never to be seen or heard of again. (Yes I saw it on tv at 10pm on a Sunday. Yes I bought it at Walgreens for $7.99...on vhs...anyway) In the grander scheme of things, it's a cute movie and there was one message in it that stuck with me as soon as I heard it: there are three people you fall in love with in one lifetime. Now I don't exactly know if some Italian boss named "Sonny" actually took aside a young Robert De Niro and dropped this gem on his seventeen-year-old head or if it was just a cute plot contrivance but somewhere along the way my head made sense of it and now it's here to stay.

So here's my version of the rule of three:

There are three potential people you fall in love with within one lifetime, two of which you love more than they love you and one person who you're also one of their "three". Now, I'm not talking about the "OMG I <3 YOU!!" love, the "Yea, love you too" love, the "I think...I may be in love with you" love or any of that other nonsense people psych themselves into believing is real because they're tired of waiting for the real thing. Now my definition of love is and always will be strange (like many other things). My definition of love is painful. It involves a commitment beyond all understanding, no matter what they say, no matter what they do, no matter how bad it gets you are better with them than you are without them. That is not to say that love can't be good, fun, or happy but when the chips are down you know that's the one person that's going to make everything okay without having to do anything but exist.

So that's why I got the tattoo to remind me that there are three people out there that I'm meant to be with. The three major puzzle pieces that will make up the majority of my heart. Hopefully (hopefully) I haven't found one...or two of them yet and even if I have, then it means I still have my one or two...or three) pieces left that out of the 3 billion in the world are meant for me. Hopefully I'll meet all of them some day. Hopefully not at the same time :) On the other hand, it's a little reminder for me to not sweat the people that don't matter, the people that'll never own a piece of my heart. Now about telling my mother I got another tattoo...before I go home...

-The Canvas / La Pensadora
Ready for Love
India.Arie
Acoustic Soul