Random. Ridiculous. But Mine.

I don't like being in new places and meeting new people. In fact, if I were asked to list the things I hate/fear the most, it would be talking to people I don't know, not the kind of talks a person has standing in line at the grocery store, but the kind of meet and greet talks that are necessary for making new friends and building new relationships. They make me super uncomfortable because when the conversation falls quiet, for some odd reason, I feel as if it is my sole responsibility to fill the dead air. So I talk. And I talk. I talk about things that pop into my head, random, ridiculous thoughts that I most likely wouldn't even share with a close friend. Through the years, I have learned to avoid such situations as much as possible and have, no doubt, missed out on some would be fantastic friendships. (I know. I know. . . Shame on me).

Then the day came when he asked me to meet him for dinner, and I said yes.

I meant yes at the moment. I really did, but given a little time, I did everything I could think of to back out of my commitment. Yet, for every excuse I gave, he came up with a solution. So I did it. I pushed past the fear and followed through with the plans. There I sat across the table from him. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel my brain shaking. My hands were excreting enough fluid to fill a mason jar; they were well beyond clammy. I was folding and refolding my napkin (He says that I ripped the seam out of it which could totally be true.), trying my best to maintain eye contact for more than 3 second intervals. I sat there, listening as he talked. He talked. And he talked. He talked about random things that just seemed to pop into his head. And, maybe for the exact same reasons I find my random talking ridiculous, I found his to be perfectly charming.

We've had countless more random and ridiculous talks since that day, which was more than six years ago. In retrospect, I am so thankful that I said, "Yes." My life is richer, much richer, because of this charming man who talks about random, ridiculous things, and who makes up songs about turning left, turning right and stopping at red lights as we are traveling, and I am trying to sleep.

Today, I am thankful for him. Okay, well, every day, I am thankful for the man who challenges me to be a better me and believes that I can turn dreams into reality. What an amazing gift God gave me in him... Random. Ridiculous. But mine. For him, I am beyond grateful.