We’ve all heard hyped up romance stories about couples that knew they were meant to be together from the second they laid eyes on each other. Either in movies or from our grandparents directly, this love at first sight story sounds more like a fairytale than something that can happen out there in the real world. These couples brag that in their first glance at the other person they told themselves this was who they were going to marry. But how many times does that really happen today?
Do instances of when you first see someone even exist anymore when there is Facebook, dating apps, and Instagram? I’ve already seen your 6 best photos on Tinder. My friend who is trying to set us up already sent me screenshots of your best Instagram photos from your private account. It almost seems impossible to meet anyone organically. They’ve either been brought up in conversation or tagged in a photo you scrolled by on your timeline.
Maybe there was that cute guy you talked to at a frat party, but there was no memorable moment when everything stopped and suddenly it seemed like it was only the two of you in that dark basement. The two of you were just crammed close enough to each other on the dance floor you started dancing together. No big romance novel for the kids with that one.
But then there’s the good one you do remember meeting. The exact moment. Not in general. Not other moments from the the evening, but the first moment you’ve ever seen that person. Is it a coincidence that one of the most significant relationships I’ve had was with a guy I remember the first moment I saw him? And what about the guys I didn't have a real life changing moment with when laying eyes on them for the first time? What if i just don’t remember? Is the relationship doomed from the start? Does it play any kind of factor at all?
My best friend said he wasn’t my type, which only justified to me that I was truly attracted to this person. It was out of my norm. But from the moment I first saw him I knew I was going to get to know him.
I’m sure he doesn’t remember the moment. But after I first saw him I made it my mission to talk to him at the bar that night. And what’s now been a year of a disastrous back and forth, together then not together, relationship to nothingness, it’s still been worth it. And I knew that from the moment I saw him at that crowded college bar.
Arguing if love at first sight exists or not can become quickly tiring, but if you have the pleasure of recognizing in a split second that this person in front of you is about to affect your life, enjoy. It’s wonderful.
You do you.
