Hi, it’s me again, getting really personal – again.
I’m single, and having a family that cares deeply about me means that I never forget it. While I appreciate their looking out for my well-being, I also take most of their advice/questions (“But why aren’t you on jDate?”) with a grain of salt. After all, none of the questioning parties grew up in the Tinder generation, so they can’t possibly understand what dating is like in 2015.
A few months ago, my mom (bless her heart) sent me an email with the subject line: “idea.” Her emails constantly crack me up, but this one took the cake: it basically suggested that I put a personals ad on Craigslist. She went into a bit of detail about how she met people that way when she lived in NYC (in the ‘70s, mind you). My mother likes to type in her Brooklyn accent, and she ended the email saying “ya neva know…”
At first, I was appalled but once the shock wore off, I couldn’t stop laughing. Before long I had circulated the email to most of my friends and coworkers and now we can hardly make it through a night out without someone cracking a “ya neva know,” giving their best shot at a thick Brooklyn accent. My roommate and I even put up a garland with the saying in our living room, which provides a constant source of amusement. And while I still think it’s the most hilarious thing that she suggested I put a personals ad on Craigslist (I’m 24, for Pete’s sake!), I know that she’s right about one thing: ya neva know.
I could not have possibly predicted that my life up until now would turn out the way it did. But amid the chaos, I find comfort in the fact that the people that I know and love are there for a reason. I met my roommate through LinkedIn (well, through a Pi Phi group, but it’s funnier to say LinkedIn), and we turned out to be great friends. My job? I found it through a series of connections that led me to Chicago. My perfect, beautiful apartment? My cousin’s fiancee’s cousin’s old roommate (I’ll give you a minute) rented it to me.
I could go on and on about how many amazing connections I’ve made in my life, but I’ll spare you the extensive list. And it’s not just me – I love hearing stories about how people met because a lot of times it’s in the most serendipitous of ways.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that you never do know who’s going to pop into your life, or what’s going to happen. Tomorrow you could meet your new best friend or the love of your life. I realize this is a given, and a lot of you are probably like, “yes, I know that, now please impart some useful wisdom on me.” But I encourage all of you to take a second and think about how you really never do know. Revel in the fact that you don’t know squat about the future – and make sure you’re excited about it. I know I am!
Mom, thanks for the (almost always) rock-solid advice. Love you.
