The Subtle Art of Art
August 1, 2025
The Subtle Art of Teenaging
October 1, 2025The Subtle Art
of A Thousand Kisses
by Charles Efiong
"It slips by without ceremony, barely noticed between mouthfuls of breakfast or muffled by yawns at the end of a long day. Lips meet out of routine, like punctuation at the end of a sentence: necessary, but unremarkable."
There’s something magical about a first kiss. It’s the spark that sets everything ablaze, the anticipation, the nervous flutter, the thrill of stepping into the unknown. It’s the kiss that leaves you breathless, the one you replay in your mind over and over again. But beyond the lips and the chemistry, a first kiss is a moment of silent permission, it says, I see you, I want this, I’m here. Time slows. The world fades. For a few suspended seconds, nothing else matters, not the past, not the future, just that fragile, electric now.
It's the trembling of hands, the racing heart that feels too loud, the slight hesitation before surrender. It's eyes locking, then closing, trusting instinct over logic. A first kiss is not just about passion; it’s about promise. A doorway opens, and you both step into a story that hasn’t been written yet. Even if it’s awkward or clumsy or unexpected, it lives on, not for how perfect it was, but because it was yours. It’s the kind of magic that doesn’t need fireworks to be unforgettable. It lingers in the air, in the fingertips, in the soul. And long after it’s over, something inside you quietly changes. You’re never quite the same again. But for all its passion and fireworks, the first kiss is fleeting. It is a beginning, not a culmination. It is the promise of something, not the proof.
Now consider the 1000th kiss.
By the time you’ve reached the 1000th kiss, there are no fireworks. There is no trembling, no nervous hesitation. You no longer wonder, "Will they kiss me back?" because you know they will. It doesn’t come with the fanfare of the first or the dramatic intensity of a stolen kiss in the rain. On the surface, the 1000th kiss is just another moment in the quiet monotony of a shared life.
It slips by without ceremony, barely noticed between mouthfuls of breakfast or muffled by yawns at the end of a long day. Lips meet out of routine, like punctuation at the end of a sentence: necessary, but unremarkable. The urgency is gone. The novelty has worn thin. What once felt electric now feels expected. Familiarity dulls the edges, and comfort, while beautiful in its own way, can sometimes masquerade as apathy. You begin to forget how it felt to ache for closeness, to count the seconds before your mouths met. Instead, the kiss becomes a habit, one of many daily rituals that blend into the background hum of life.
By the 1000th kiss, you may still care deeply, maybe even more than ever but the kiss no longer carries the same weight. It becomes less about discovery, more about duty. Less about feeling, more about function. And somewhere in the quiet repetition, you might find yourself wondering: When did the magic leave the room?
But in reality, the 1000th kiss is a milestone. It is a testament to endurance, to love that has survived and thrived despite the passage of time and the challenges of life.
Think of all the moments that had to happen for this kiss to exist. The arguments that threatened to tear you apart but didn’t. The days you were too tired to even speak, yet still chose to stay. The years of building, of compromise, of learning what it means to be partners in the truest sense. Each kiss, every one of the 999 before this one was a brick in the foundation of something enduring, something real.
The 1000th kiss is not about novelty; it’s about depth. It is not the thrill of discovery, but the quiet beauty of familiarity. It’s the kiss you give after a long day, when you’re both exhausted but grateful to be beside each other. It’s the kiss you share on ordinary mornings, while brushing crumbs off the counter or passing each other the car keys. It’s the kiss that says, "We’ve built a life together, and we’re still here."
Most relationships never make it this far. The world is full of loves that burned bright and faded quickly. It’s full of promises that were broken, hands that let go too soon. The world if full of first kisses. The 1000th kiss is an accomplishment, a trophy that cannot be bought or borrowed. It must be earned through time, patience, and a love that chooses to stay even when it’s hard.
It’s a quiet kiss, yes, but it carries the weight of a thousand moments. The laughter, the tears, the late-night talks, the silent prayers. It holds the strength of a love that has been tested and still stands tall. It whispers, "I still choose you," and in its simplicity, it is profound.
In a world obsessed with the rush of the new, we sometimes forget to honor the beauty of the enduring. But the 1000th kiss is a reminder that love is not defined by its beginnings but by its staying power. It’s a symbol of a bond that has grown roots deep enough to weather any storm, a partnership that has found its rhythm, its peace.
So, here’s to the 1000th kiss. The kiss that doesn’t steal your breath but steadies it. The kiss that doesn’t make you tremble but grounds you. The kiss that is no longer about proving love but simply living it. It may not make for a Hollywood moment, but it is, in its quiet way, the most romantic kiss of all.
