Twenty years ago today, I went on a blind date that changed my life. I’d been summarily dumped by a young man with whom I’d had a long-distance, on-again/off-again thing for four years. The first time in a long time, we were scheduled to be in the same city for the summer. Proximity, it seems, undid the deal … rather than seal it. Apparently, I was fun enough for a date now and again, but not so much for an entire summer. I’d been pouting for many weeks, when my cousin Dina told me to stop crying and get dressed. “His name is Tom, and he’ll pick you up at 7 pm,” she said.
Now, it’s important to note that Dina had fixed me up over the years with many men. She’d also fixed Tom up with many women. No matches. Tom claims to have seen a photo of me and asked when he could meet *me*. Since Dina and I grew up together and are essentially the same age, that photo could have been one of countless taken over the years. I have no idea.
But, indeed his name was Tom. Indeed he did pick me up at 7 pm. Indeed we’ve been together ever since.
We married five years later. So in 2007, we celebrate both our 15th wedding anniversary AND the 20th anniversary of our first date.
I’m happy to say I got me a good one. And, I’m keeping him!
We like to pretend we look the same now as we did then, but we know it’s not true. Since I’m feeling nostalgic, I’ll share this photo, which we had taken about a month after we met … on a lark.
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Coping Strategies
Again, you have my apologies for the missing posts and general absence lately. I’ve been thinking a lot about how best to handle stress and worry when it comes in relentless waves for months on end. (My childhood friend’s mom died very soon after a cancer diagnosis. My mom fell again this week. My sis meets with the surgeon Friday.) This being a grown-up thing is often for the birds. So, should you find yourself mired in non-stop drama of any variety, here is my best coping advice. …