“Where two deliberate, love is slight.  Whoever loved, not having loved at first sight.”  – Christopher Marlowe

I never get tired of telling the story of when I met my husband.

After a long day at work I sought the comfort of lobster and shrimp tacos at one of my favorite restaurants in downtown Cincinnati a few blocks from my loft apartment. My apartment was in a renovated building that was once the Cincinnati Gas and Electric Company where my grandfather worked at the age of 18. (I always felt near to him in that building.)

I am eating my tacos and talking to my best friend on the phone when Greg walks up. I didn’t notice him until I ended my call. Greg started a conversation. I don’t remember his line exactly, but I remember that conversation came easy. In the course of our conversation we discovered we lived in the same building. (He claims to have noticed me in the elevator before we ever actually talked.) He lived several floors above me. He wound up in the building because he could not wrangle space in the building in which he wanted to live. (Living in the same building was highly unlikely had my grandfather worked somewhere else and Greg been able to move into his apartment of choice.) As our conversation continued, I excused myself to use the restroom. After I returned, Greg asked if I wanted to go to Cincy Beerfest. I said sure. (I later learned that while I was in the restroom the bartender, Joe, who knew both of us, encouraged Greg to ask.) Greg bought two tickets. We walked home and talked the entire way. That was a Wednesday. We talked for several hours on the phone (from our apartments in the same building) on Thursday. Cincy Beerfest was Friday. We dated for one year. We got engaged. We were engaged for a year. We got married. We have been married since September 19th of 2015.

I believe in love at first sight.

Something wonderful happened that night. I was awake to saying yes and connection. I was awake to ease and curiosity. I was awake to learning about Natalie. I was awake to learning about Cirque Du Soleil and hockey and Florida State. I was awake to the color of his eyes and the way his mouth curls when he smiles. I was awake to the way he leaned in and listened. I was awake to the way we talked like we had been friends a long time. I was awake to the way I felt as we walked home and held hands. I was awake to how much I wanted to see him again.

I believe in the power of first sight.

Can the first rush of love be found across all areas of our lives? I believe it can. Nepo talks about the power of first sight. He suggests, “First sight is the moment of God-sight, heart-sight, soul-sight.” He challenges us to find the power of first sight in all our comings and goings. Does feeling the power of first sight frequently diminish its meaning? I say no. The power of first sight strengthens and expands. The power of first sight multiplies and generates. That is how love grows over time. The challenge is to stay awake to the power of first sight. To treat each day with possibility of first sight amazement and wonder.

https://kitt.global/february-14-love-at-first-sight-mark-nepo-the-book-of-awakening/