I'm Not a Morning Person... But This'll Be Worth It

Whenever I decide upon a blog-post topic, I usually begin "writing" it in my head anywhere from hours to days before I ever start typing. I'll decide how to start things out, how to tackle some of the first paragraphs -- kind of get a rough sketch, if you will. But as I was thinking about how I could best describe my reasons for wanting to set my alarm for the crack of dawn tomorrow in order to watch the royal wedding (despite the fact that I HATE GETTING UP EARLY), I began to sense that at some point in the past I'd already covered much of what I wanted to say. Everything I was coming up with sounded really familiar.

So just now I searched through my old posts and sure enough, I'd written about Prince Harry and Prince William here back in June 2007 when they were preparing the Concert for Diana. I'd commented on how I felt an odd sense of protectiveness over them despite the fact that I'm not British and have obviously never met them, and how my first thoughts after hearing about Princess Diana's untimely death were something along the lines of, "Oh my God, what is going to happen to those boys?"

Those feelings have not wavered ever since -- in fact, they've probably only intensified, as I've come to realize that the princes remind me a lot of two of my cousins. These cousins are also brothers, and the older one is a bit more serious (like William) while the younger one tends to be more carefree (like Harry). They are both in their early 20s and are just such great kids -- they give me hope for the future, and I use their existence to help me stay sane whenever I read about, say, any of the "teen moms" making headlines or various other young idiots who for some reason get press attention in this country.

Anyway, I feel like Prince William in particular has carried the weight of his mother's death -- in addition to having so many other responsibilities thrust upon him -- and so I guess I just am desperate for him to experience some sort of true, lasting happiness in life. My interest in the royal wedding has absolutely nothing to do with the wedding itself -- I couldn't care less about the dress, the cake, the guest list, the ceremony, or anything else along those lines. I don't know much about the royal family besides what I've learned from the movies or read during the weeks following Diana's death. I never dreamed of being a "princess" -- hell, I never even thought I'd get married -- so I'm not into the whole "fairy tale" aspect of Kate's (er, Catherine's) story. And because I never watch live TV, am only on Facebook and Twitter for seconds per day, and have avoided all other online and print coverage of the event, I am in no way sick of hearing about it like most people are. In fact, I really haven't heard ANYTHING about it. This is but just one benefit of livin' the hermit lifestyle, my friends!

I am watching tomorrow for one reason and one reason only -- I want to see that balcony kiss -- and I want to see it live. And I hope that somewhere along the way we get a glimpse of a genuine smile on the future king's face. He deserves it.

I bet the other 2 billion people around the world who'll be tuning in feel the same way.

- e