Special Meetings

Last week I asked you to complete this sentence: "The first time I laid eyes on my significant other was special because ..."

I also promised to tell you my story, so here goes.

One year in late June I called up a good friend of mine, a guy I often went golfing with, and told him, "We're going out tonight." I had been stuck in the books for a few months, working hard to finish up my masters thesis. My social life had suffered and I was determined to change that. I decided that night I wanted to meet a new friend, someone to expand my social circle, someone I could call up once in a while and do something, go to a movie, whatever. I didn't care if this person turned out to be just a casual friend (that was my expectation) and I would have been equally satisfied if they had been male or female. I was just tired of all work and no play.

With that devil-may-care attitude I arrived at a club with my friend and proceeded to strike up conversations with everyone in sight. At one point I walked over to where my friend was deep in a conversation and there was a girl standing nearby. I jokingly asked her if she would like to dance with my friend. (I never claimed to be good at this.) She declined, so I said, "Well would you like to dance with me?" She said yes and we spent the rest of the evening together. At the end of the night she went home with her girlfriends. Before she left I kissed her on the cheek and told her I would like to see her again. Four months later we were engaged and the wedding took place the following summer. Now twenty-three years have passed and I love her more every day.

The first time I laid eyes on my significant other was special because ... it must have been meant to be. I certainly wasn't on the hunt for a future wife.

The moral: be careful what you ask for because you might get more than you bargained for -- and you might be very lucky that you did!

Thanks to everyone who so generously shared your own stories. I enjoyed each and every one. (And if you haven't seen them, you might want to take a look.) I especially enjoyed Margaret's story; it made me laugh out loud. Here is the punch line:

Off to Boston I flew to meet him after a good 1 1/2 years (of emails, chats and phone calls). I knew that when I met him face to face I would feel comfortable and want to give him a great big friendly hug. However ... The first time I laid eyes on my significant other was special because ... I knew right then and there he was going to get way more than just a big friendly hug. I slipped him a kiss and then the tongue and after a 20 minute lip-lock the airport security guy asked us to please "get a room" and leave the building.