So there's this point in all our lives where we officially decide to make everything more difficult. You know what I'm saying, right? It's like this switch that's set on a timer and at some specific point in our life it goes off and everything that seemed so simple turns in to this complicated mess. It goes for friendships. It used to be who shared their lunch with you in grade school was your best friend. Then, that switch makes us ask more of our friends. It goes for holidays. It used to be a few days off of school and food and presents. Then, that switch makes us think we have to spend twice of what we make to make someone happy.

It goes for love.

When I was a kid I had the hugest crush on Tom Cruise, right? Clearly that's not true now, but I thought nothing of it. I also had a huge crush on Debbie Gibson, that girl that played the babysitter in Adventures in Babysitting, Janet Jackson, Kirk Cameron, and even Uncle Jesse on Full House. I say crush loosely in the sense that I just totally thought the world of these people. They made me all googly... all for different reasons. But I remember thinking: Man, this is totally love.

And then that switch turned on. I mean, I don't remember the exact moment where I realized that it may be wrong for a guy to like another guy. I just remember knowing it was wrong. I remember knowing that my life (or at least love-life) was going to be a bit tougher than others. I remember knowing that I would have to prove that the feelings I had for a dude and that it was going to be a challenge because of how I saw others perceiving it.

OK, like there was this one segment on Oprah. Now, this is was when Oprah was still kind of trashy. Pre read my book club suggestions and Dr. Phil is my minion. This was nasty Oprah. Anyway, she brought on teenagers to come out of the closet to their parents. There were tears. There were people walking of the stage. There were these faces that the kids were making that looked more painful than having to tie your tooth to a door to force it out. It was the first time were the switch actually shocked me.

And the older we get, the more complicated it becomes. And sometimes it's not because of us, it's because of others that make us feel that way.

As kids we are taught to love. We are taught to share. We are taught to say nothing if we have nothing nice to say. And if you were lucky, you were taught all this by Monsters. Monsters that seemed to have all the answers-- all the answers that were simple and made sense. These were the type of monsters we were never afraid of:

But like that switch, that's all changed. There are different kinds of Monsters that aren't furry and sweet and passionate about the alphabet. They are the type of Monsters that we should fear. They are people who, well, we all know who they are, right? They are the Monsters that aren't trying to make it simple for the rest of us.

There's this beautiful quote from Jim Henson, you know, the dude that made the good Monsters:

"My hope still is to leave the world a bit better than when I got here."

Sometimes it's all as simple as that.

Some of us need to turn on that switch.

"You aren't even listening to me!"

I'm following this mid-twenties couple on a side street on my way to meet Josh for coffee.

"I AM listening to you. You're mad. I GET IT!" The boyfriend yelps back while lifting his hat to slick back his messy sleep hair.

I'm trying to get around them because I'm running late. But, um, I'm kind of scared to get in the middle of it.

"I don't think we should talk after you're done with class." She says crossing her arms in front of her small body.

"Really!? Why?" He says panicked.

"Because you... just don't get it..." She snaps back.

"Get wh...."

And just as he's about to ask her what she's really that mad at him for, the brunette haired girl trips over a giant crack in the sidewalk and stumbles forward. She wobbles on her heel. She makes a quick shriek. A jogger dodges her while running the opposite direction. I watch waiting to hear a thump.

But the boyfriend catches her.

He pulls her close and as I speed walk around the couple I hear the boyfriend ask: Are you OK? In a voice that sounds more panicked than someone running late.

I hear her start to laugh as I walk ahead. Then I hear hear say: I'm sorry. I'm being stupid. And then I hear them both laugh as they continue behind me.

Sometimes it's the cracks along the way that remind us to slow down and that there are people who will catch us if we fall. They don't laugh. They don't think twice.

Even if we are wearing bad shoes. Trust me, her shoes were bad.