On July 15, 2011, I had my second first date with my high school sweetheart. It had been 39 years since we last saw each other, though the second first date was preceded by Facebook messages, emails, and phone calls that lifted my 55 year old heart like I was a teenager again. The date started with dinner at a casual restaurant near the river. As we sat across from each other in the cozy booth, David reassured me of a guideline we established in an early phone call:
“Nothing’s off the table.”
The dating books said to not bring up past relationships or issues that might scare off a potential partner. But we’d both been unpleasantly surprised over those 39 years by people who were on their best behavior at first. We didn’t want to waste time, and we didn’t want any BIG surprises. So we asked lots of questions and shared about our past successes, mistakes, and lessons learned – not all on that second first date, but over the next several months of a long-distance romance. We’ve been married 6 and a half years now. But I can still remember the butterflies of our second first date, the after dinner walk along the river, and the second first kiss.
You can read the whole story in Trust the Timing, A Memoir of Finding Love Again.
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July 10, 2019 at 10:52 am
I love an honest love story.
July 10, 2019 at 3:51 pm
Oh, it’s honest alright. Some people might think I was too honest. But my editor kept asking me to give more details…
July 10, 2019 at 6:15 pm
Then you did what needed to be done.
July 10, 2019 at 8:57 pm
Thank you.
July 10, 2019 at 12:12 pm
That is the best way to go.
July 10, 2019 at 3:57 pm
Thanks, Dan. I’m convinced of this.
July 10, 2019 at 12:25 pm
Awww…I love a happy ending. As we get older, I think we tend to be more likely to put it all out on the table. Life’s too short to play games.
July 10, 2019 at 3:57 pm
Exactly!
July 10, 2019 at 3:52 pm
JoAnna, that’s perfectly lovely. I’m so glad you put it all to paper. Off the table and into the book. Hugs on the wing1
July 10, 2019 at 4:05 pm
Thanks, Teagan. It was a big job, that book, but I’m glad I did it.
July 11, 2019 at 5:42 am
Great post 🙂
July 11, 2019 at 8:33 am
Thank you! 🙂
July 11, 2019 at 9:41 pm
Fantastic. It’s such a refreshing story. Magical and romantic, yes, but refreshing.
We’re like that, too. After a dozen years of friendship, there wasn’t much room left to bring anything to the table and we keep it that way. Honesty is lifeblood for us.
July 12, 2019 at 9:26 pm
Amen. Friendship goes a long way. In the big picture, it’s just as importance as magic and romance.
July 24, 2019 at 10:43 pm
This is sweet!
July 25, 2019 at 7:31 pm
Thank you!