Okay, I admit it. I am a sap. I am an annoyingly saccharine creature when I’m happy. And today I am happy. I am letting all the other things fall away. Stress. Politics. Underhanded schemes and crazy news.

I am letting it go.

At this moment, I will lose myself in the dastardly delicious romantic music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Notably, one of the songs that I think, defines romance for me. “All I Ask of You”. I cannot pretend to know the context as I have not watched, read, or listened to the whole soundtrack of Phantom of the Opera, so as far as I know, this could be a creepy, codependent ode to a creep that lives under a theater.

I don’t care.

The swell of those strings. The romantic beat of the drums as they usher in the lyrics. The simplicity of saying “Love me, that’s all I ask of you.” I know that will never happen. Nobody will just ever ask to just be loved. In fact, this song asks for a lot. Every waking moment, talk of summertime, being that person’s shelter.

I’d like to pretend that in this moment, that’s all that we need. Sing it with me.