Like many millennials, I’ve spent a good portion of my twenties searching high and low for ‘The One’. After years of fruitless online dating and dead-end small talk at parties, I finally did it: I found the person I want to spend the rest of my year with. That’s right! I finally found my annual soul mate.
When I went to my friend’s Labor Day barbecue, I wasn’t expecting anything beyond a good ranch dip. Then I noticed a handsome stranger at the snack table. The connection was immediate. As soon as we locked eyes, there was a familiarity. It’s like we could read each other’s minds. Before I even had a chance to say hello, I knew we would ride out the rest of 2016 together.
I knew the commitment was huge, but for some reason, I wasn’t afraid. I could tell with each handful of Chex Mix Dan shoved into his mouth that he, too, was prepared for the short haul.
Friends and family who had witnessed my rollercoaster dating history marveled at my good fortune. I could tell that they all thought I would be spending the remainder of the year by myself. Boy, did I prove them wrong!
Even though I’m a self-described romantic, it still surprised me how perfectly—and quickly—Dan and I clicked. We discussed our goals for the coming weeks and months and realized that our wishes for the near future were uncannily similar. Sure, we disagree on marriage and kids and even how to spend springtime, but both of us agree that not having someone to have sex with through the end of the year is depressing, so we’re set.
Is it all too good to be true? Maybe, but I feel confident that no matter how many trials Dan and I endure as a couple, we’ll make it until the new year, and then immediately break up.
Believe me, we’ve already had our share of hiccups. There was the time he kept talking over me at my co-worker’s baby shower. I’d never been so grateful to know that my relationship had an expiration date. And when he wore a fedora to my birthday party—don’t get me started! Even after taking all of our hardships into account, Dan is still the only one I’d want to share my life with until the minute 2017 begins.
My wish is that by sharing my personal experience, I’m giving others hope that true, fleeting love can take root at any time. Hey, it may not be happily ever after, but it’s definitely happily for a limited time after, and that’s good enough for me.
