Skip to main content

The One

This past weekend, at the service for my former babysitter, I ran into the mom of a pretty good friend (partner in crime, really) from high school. I had met the mom only once, and did not recognize her. During our conversation, I found out her son he had moved back to area. I told her it would be great to hear from him or see him again, and she said she would tell him she ran into me. She asked if I was married and had kids, and I asked the same of her son. She said he had a girlfriend, but that she was not "the one." And then she said, "I think you were the one." I felt a little weird, but I managed to say something like he was a great guy/good friend. We both did like each other at different times, perhaps once at the same time, but it was just not meant to be.



But what is "the one" really? Except in very rare cases, I just don't believe there is only one person meant for each of us. After all, I have thought probably three or four different guys were "the one" and that does not even include the many crushes I had in high school, for the love of Pete! Quite a few years ago, some friends and I went to see a local band a number of times. About 4.5 years ago, the keyboardist passed away, leaving behind a young widow, a preschooler, and a son on the way. This poor woman, as evidenced by her online writings, was inconsolable for years. I felt so bad for her kids who it seemed were missing out on both parents due to this woman's grief. But I also thought if there was ever "the one," this guy was surely it for her.



I look at couples around me and wonder if they think their spouse is the one. In most cases, I really do think that these people have done a good job finding a person suitable for them. But I think it is quite possible that these same people could have been just as happy with another. I remember being in love in college, and after we broke up, I thought it was just awful to feel that for someone and then not end up with that person. But you get over it. You move on. And at some point, hopefully you can be glad that you had the opportunity to know love more than once.



The day after the mom made the comment about my being the one for her son, I was reminded of the time I ran into a high school crush at a wedding about six years ago. I decided to go up to this person and tell him I liked him at one time. I thought maybe he would be flattered. A lot of years had passed, and I was happily married, so what was the harm. But instead, he looked really embarrassed and said nothing. Maybe he felt the same way. Or, more likely, he never felt anything toward me, the skinny girl with braces and glasses, and was afraid it would hurt my feelings. If only he knew that he was one of probably 20 guys I liked during my high school years...


So here is hoping you have found the one that you think is the one. Or, hopefully you can at least love the one you're with. But just remember, it is better to have lost in love, than never to have loved at all.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What a year 2021 has been (Day 7)

I have almost no words for what happened yesterday at the Capitol. Protesting is one thing (though I truly think it is and has been time to move on). But to storm the Capitol? A friend on Facebook said, quite simply, " Almost 20 years ago a group of people on an airplane sacrificed themselves to protect the Capitol. How far we have fallen!" Indeed. And, yes, it IS storming the Capitol. I have seen numerous videos of people knocking down barricades/fences, pushing police officers, and breaking windows and climbing through them. That is beyond protesting. And even if a protestor did not do those things, if they followed those seditionists past those barricades and into the building, they are just as guilty. I did not support the violent protests this summer that resulted in damages to businesses and public property (I was in full support of the actual protests). But I also acknowledged as a white person, I cannot truly put myself in the position of a black person who is angry a...

Why do they stand up there and say that when they are just lying?

That extra-long title is courtesy of my nine-year-old and was something she uttered during "Say Yes to the Dress" on Friday evening. I watch very little reality TV, but I make an exception for this show because I like to look at the dresses. And sometimes, the stories are heart-warming. Typically at the end of the show, a snippet of a wedding is aired. In this particular show, a woman who was confined to a wheelchair was exchanging vows with her fiance. After the two of them finished, J made her comment. I asked her what she meant as I must have been on the computer while the TV was on, and she explained that because so many people just get divorced, why do they even say "as long as we both shall live"? That is tough one, kid. I tried with what I thought was a sound explanation: Most of the people who get married truly believe they will be together the rest of their lives, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. But if you don't think that you will be ...

I need a date!

No, I don't mean I need to go somewhere with the hubby. We did that not too long ago, remember? And the kid will be at grandma's again in another week, so we should get to go on another mini-date. Mini because my husband will be on call, which he is six months out of the year. And that means he cannot go far from home in case he gets a call and particularly if he has to go somewhere. Which brings me to why I need a date. Next weekend I will be meeting up with some fellow bloggers, none of whom I have met in real life and at least half of whom have blogs I have never read, for dinner. I was planning to take Jordan since a couple of the bloggers are bringing their kids. Then hubby informed me a few days ago that he looked at our calendar and saw that I had a blogger dinner, so he figured that would be a good time to send the kid to grandma's. I had reservations about taking Jordan anyway. The next oldest kid there will be four, and I was not sure how Jordan would do wit...