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Dating Triumphs and Tragedies
by Nicole Roberge

Finding Love in the Weirdest Places

Everyone thinks that when they meet the right person, it will be magical.  Like a scene out of a movie, they will meet the love of their life when they bump into them around the corner, sitting next to them on the airplane or buying the same bag of chips in the grocery store.  It will be fate.  But let’s get serious, that’s not how it always happens.  People get set up by friends, they still go to bars, and of course, online dating is an extremely common and successful way to meet people now.
           
But what about the not so common ways?  There are some people who meet their match in the most bizarre ways, and end up in a lasting relationship.  If they had never been in those weird, or uncommon places, where you might never think you’d find love, then you would be missing out.  Sometimes then, maybe it is fate that you end up in some…not so favorable circumstances.

Rehab.  Yes, rehab.  A friend of mine had a substance abuse problem and checked herself into rehab.  She met a lot of people there that she could relate to, and made friends that she still keeps in touch with.  One of those people, was a guy that became more than a friend.  They fell in love.  He would joke and say, “How did I meet you?” and she’d laugh and say, “rehab.”  Though they both knew how they met, it seemed surreal.  If they hadn’t been in rehab at the same time, they never would have met, never fallen in love, and never been so happy.  Yes, the situation that put them in rehab was difficult, but in the end, their happiness made it all worth it.  Neither of them ever thought that they would be so happy to have gone to rehab.  I’m not suggesting you go check yourselves in right now, this is just one example.

Along the same lines, I have heard several people tell me about their friends who have met, fallen in love, and gotten married after they met in AA.  Hmm…am I seeing a trend here?  Ditch the bars, become sober, and love will come to you.  Kidding.  Perhaps it just has to deal with finding that common ground and support, and for them, that was what it was.

One person I know went to a foreign country to teach and came back home with a wife.  Those weren’t his intentions, but he got more out of the trip than he planned.

My friend has a love/hate relationship with Haunted Houses.  She goes when Halloween comes around, but they scare her like crazy, even the cheesiest ones.  Last year she went and some dude in a sheet popped out at her.  She screamed and jumped back, knocking into a plastic jack-o-lantern.  The “ghost” was so concerned, that he took of his sheet to see if she was okay, and then apologized for scaring her.  She thought her was so endearing, and cute (with the sheet off), that she told him not to worry, he was just doing his job.  They kept talking, holding up the line of other folks who actually wanted to be scared, so they decided to go to dinner the next day so they could really talk.  They have been together ever since.

I’ve known people that have met at car dealerships, the bank, while waiting for their coffee and even at the Pharmacy.  Waiting for things and long lines can seem like a pain, but you never know who you will meet and strike up a conversation with.  So if someone seems interesting, don’t avoid them because you are mad about the wait.  See what they have to say.

The point is, you can meet someone just about anywhere, whether it’s the grocery store or a haunted house.  You don’t need to be looking, just keep your eyes open.  It may not be the magical way you had planned when you were a little girl, with background music and him sweeping you off your feet with a bouquet of roses, but it will be magical in its own way.  Especially, when years later, people ask you how you met and can smile at each other and say, “Wasn’t it that time we were in rehab together?”

Dating Triumphs and Tragedies is published every Sunday by Online Dating Magazine columnist Nicole Roberge. She can be reached at NicoleMRoberge@hotmail.com.