It’s spring and after the cold harshness of winter, we all relish the change of season.
World news can be overwhelming to absorb. Politics and wars are everywhere on the horizon and it’s hard to focus on things that are positive.
If you want an escape to a dimension that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, I encourage all to watch:“Love on the Spectrum” .
We take dating and a progression to marriage almost for granted. But these young male and female adults, are different and embrace that definition. They long for connection, as we all do, but for many of them it is a major challenge. Coaching is often offered to help guide them towards social norms.
Not all meetings work out. Those awkward pauses in conversation can make or break securing a second date. Often it is a one sided scenario of one person wanting more while the other only seeks friendship.
I wonder at their enthusiasm, honesty and their bravery, as they forge forward on these blind encounters. They are scared and get butterflies like the rest of us but yet they navigate their way through.
Their parents don’t want them to be alone. The desire that they can become independent and finding their soulmates, is a common goal for those who have raised them – often through some hardships.
I remember meeting my husband on a blind date. I knew he was older and that was fine with me, as I grew up with older siblings and have always felt more comfortable with an older generation.
He was teaching at U of W at the time. This gig was right out of his masters program in geography from York and there was no curriculum. That was a daunting task for him. I’d never met someone with a passion for geography but low and behold he ended up in finance. The two do have overlap.
We met at Basil’s in Osborne Village and a coffee date that cold Winnipeg winter afternoon which should have been for a short 2 hour period, lasted 4 hours. There were no silence pauses. I felt as if I’d known him before and that our souls would be together forever. We connected on an intellectual level but there was a definite spark between us. He was one of the first people I had ever met, who didn’t know who my dad was. That actually was a plus. I left feeling so positive, the same energy you see in those dating on “ Love on the Spectrum .” You can’t get this person out of your mind. It just feels right. You are walking on air.
We are fast approaching our 45 th anniversary, but have been together nearly 47 years.
When I was young, around age 9, there was a young woman in her twenties who had Down syndrome and lived on our street. She had the loveliest personality. Initially, I thought she was just my friend. But I figured out that she had a crush on my eldest brother who was still living at home. He was around 28.
Hanging out with her brought great pleasure to me. She was always happy and uplifting. We’d sit on the front porch talking and laughing. I have always had an affinity with those mentally challenged.
The joy you feel watching these young adults pursue true love is so completely endearing. They are innocents. For them romance is often something they have watched on Disney. The women are seeking their “princes” and the fellas are envisioning a quasi normal life with the “princess” of their dreams.
Like us, they have their quirks and quarks. Sometimes we think of them as so different from us. But truth be known, as humans, we all crave connections.
What I like especially about them, is that they are straight shooters. There are no hidden agendas or games and they are actually appear incapable of malice. Manipulation isn’t even a concept they can relate to. How utterly refreshing.
Many start out as friends but the lucky ones fall in love and aspire just as we do, of a happy union in life.
Their laugh is infectious. Their respective families are cheering them on. And they are restored, renewed and rejuvenated.
It’s wonderful to witness these relationships grow. There is disappointment at times, but they all believe in the magic of seeing two people together, who were meant to be and nothing can stop them, not even being on the Spectrum.
