Magic of The First Glance. Man Making a Choice.

Something charming happened the other day.

Spring was turned on, and all ladies dressed in something visually feminine. Me too, I wore a dress, and I even did not forget about sunglasses. I was in the subway, grabbing a handle right next to the doors, smiling dreamily and looking forward to a theatre night.

Station. Doors opened, crowd started to float across the platform. There was a man rushing in the current. When he saw me, he slowed down and stopped. It was obvious he had taken some inner decision. Then he went into the car and stood next to me. I write about it with all the shameless details as I was wearing sunglasses which allowed me to watch without causing troubles or being noticed. Although, I still have an impression that I was watching a movie scene from outside.

Then he tried to talk to me in a tactful manner, and I subtly drove his attention to my wedding ring, and soon I flew out from the car as I was in a rush to meet my husband.

But this is what I was thinking about afterwards.

Why are we so attracted to Mona Lisa? Her mysterious smile has become proverbial. She smiles softly and somehow supernaturally. This smile has an ethereal light of love, reserved and gentle. They say that Leonardo was painting his mother from whom he was separated in early childhood. A song to sublime love, an ode for a fair lady, an idealization of a real person.

When I was watching this man making his decision, I felt something similar to the conversations I had with men in tango: regardless different tastes, the moment of choice is always a flare and a heart sinking. Man looks at woman, embodies his sensations and the image in his mind gets mixed with his memories, impressions and context. It lasts literally a second, after that man realizes if he needs this particular woman.

The proverbial "first glance" is important both in life and in tango. In tango it is even more complicated, to my opinion. You can call it consumer attitude or motivation to protect the inner fragility, but in tango men have an additional filter – movement. Sometimes men prefer to first see if woman moves freely and relaxed, how she embraces.

Although I think that the sensation "from the first glance" is a bit more important. The thing is that every person has a need for harmony, this strive for (sorry for being pretentious) the divine but revealed to the world is very strong.

They say God is love; another person enchants you with their celestial radiance. As if the circumstances were matched perfectly and all of a sudden another person is all in a golden halo. The missing step between yourself and God/World/Blissfulness, a creature that makes the perception of it possible.

But let's get back to earth and reality, for example, to those who are eternally waiting at the milongas. God preserve you from thinking that I encourage you to walk around with a blissful smile or with an alcoholic "sfumato" on your face. No, mice should not become hedgehogs. I suggest you remember why we are all here.

As I have already come down to memories, I will tell you another life story. It's a city milonga, my friends and I are going to the bar. Suddenly, one of the guys drops a phrase "I will catch you up, I totally need to dance with that señorita". I had time to look at the girl and understand that she was completely not looking at my friend. So apparently, it was not the case when he was stroke down by a piercing cabeceo. When my friend came back, I could not help asking why he chose her.

His answer was quite sufficient:

— She was radiating pleasure and self-sufficiency, she was happy just standing there leaning against a column and watching the dancefloor.
— Yeah, - I said, – like a cat you cannot touch.
— Yes, - my friend said. – And she embraced very well.