Kissing for the Record

University of California seniors, Alina Evans and Paul Fremeau, may have just kissed themselves into the record books. And, I was there to see it for myself. The couple were a part of a Valentine's Day event I organized for a charity called Kidz for a Cure, which culminated on February 14th with a kiss off. The couple competed against another duo to see which could land the most kisses in one minute and set the Guinness World Record.

The young couple landed 254 smooches in 60 seconds, surpassing their competition by an outstanding 40 kisses. I was a judge; so I was right in there making sure every kiss was separate from the next, while trying to keep count of the jackhammer smooches. Most people found this event romantic, but being right there in the trenches, I saw it was work, lots of work. Fremeau held his partner's head in his hands as he pecked her forehead over and over. You could see the strain on his neck and the stumble in his rhythm at times. When it was over, he said he had felt the rush of adrenaline, that his heart was racing and that his neck was sore.

I found this a metaphor for relationships. What may look romantic to some really does take work. And there is sacrifice to make a relationship work. Sometimes one person needs to take up the slack for the other to be sure all the pieces fall into place. And, maybe, if you kiss a month's worth in just a minute, you might want to take a break from the action for a bit… I'm just sayin'.

By the way, both couples in the finals were awarded a signed copy of my latest book, The Finance of Romance, and the winning couple also won a romantic Valentine stay at The Canary Hotel's 1,300 sq ft Presidential Suite in Santa Barbara, California, valued at over $3,000. I guess that's worth kissing for.