It's Our Anniversary

It was 24 years ago today that I met Hal. As I waited for him to show up for our date, I figured it was just another chance to meet someone over dinner and a movie, with hopefully a bit of fun later in the evening. I wasn't looking for anything more, quite honestly. I'd been burned in my last relationship, and I wasn't planning to start a new one immediately. Gay dating is difficult at the best of times, and I was on my guard due to what happened to me before. 

I was in a dark place in my life 24 years ago. I was leaving the Navy due to my mom's health issues. I requested to stay stateside for one more tour to be closer to home, but that was refused, so I decided not to reenlist. After my last relationship had poorly ended, I found what passed for solace in alcohol. I was well on my way to alcoholism, but I didn't care. I felt unloved and unworthy at the same time. I was 36 and would have said I'd be dead by 50, and that wouldn't have bothered me at all. I could go out and pound six top-shelf Long Island Iced Teas and never miss a beat. I didn’t care what happened to me. 

I didn’t know what to expect when I met Hal. We had an unusual introduction because it was online, and I mistook him for someone else. I admitted my error, and luckily for me, Hal still agreed to meet me. 

We hit it off almost immediately. I never met anyone like Hal before. I felt something extraordinary happened, and I wanted it to continue. Little did I know that we'd still be together 24 years later. 

Like I said, I drank heavily when I met Hal. He never mentioned it to me, but within six months, I had completely stopped drinking, and it was only after we talked about it that I allowed myself to have a glass of wine or a beer now and then. I found the person I was supposed to find, and I could eliminate something terrible from my life because I found something extraordinary.

And so on a rainy Saturday. I'm celebrating my 24th anniversary with Hal. I couldn't be happier. Hopefully, the weather will improve so we can go for dinner later. But either way, I can't believe I'm so lucky, and I can't believe I'm so happy! It doesn't seem like 24 years.

If things aren't going your way right now, don't give up. I was at my wit's end when I found out how so. It proves that there's somebody out there for each of us. You just have to have a little bit of faith and don't look too hard because sometimes you'll find the person you're supposed to find without any effort at all.