Frankly, this is not all that unique or, dare I say, Hollywood romantic.
In its basic elements we were both in our early thirties, both divorced, with the usual trappings that go with the status at the time. In addition, Barb was what is now known a a single parent with two boys. We were brought together by a neighbor of mine who knew her from work. We met...became a couple...and sort of decided one day (seven months later) that we should get married before taking off on a three week motorcycle tour of Western Canada and the US. The trip had been planned anyhow--probably the first honeymoon trip that was planned before there were even thoughts about getting married.
By way of background, those were the days when motorcycle touring was a bit of a rage for those in the Midwest.I, of course, took to it as a way of experiencing the world from a different perspective--an activity that drove my co-workers and parents crazy as they could not see how a corporate lawyer could ever be seen on a motorcycle. Barb took to it because it was a way to see the world, and, I suppose, me. It was a real low profile wedding--we both had been there before with the big church weddings and just did not feel the need again. What we both had in common, I suppose, was a spirit of adventure--we were followers of William Least Heat Moon's book--"Blue Highways and I struggled with "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Pirsig.
In a way, I think the more important question is not how people meet--it is how they stay together.
Life can throw some serious obstacles at you--the test is whether you can meet them together. You make mistakes. Sometimes, you hurt the one(s) you love--intentionally or not. You have to deal with loss and, in our case, the death of her youngest son 10 years ago. It is, I suppose, a balancing act. Having a spirit of adventure, even if limited by time or aging, is what gets you through. It is also a process of working out who does what in a relationship and changing it as circumstances warrant. Sometimes the transitions are rocky. Sometimes, they are silent and smooth.
We're still working at it...and hope to continue doing so for many years.
In its basic elements we were both in our early thirties, both divorced, with the usual trappings that go with the status at the time. In addition, Barb was what is now known a a single parent with two boys. We were brought together by a neighbor of mine who knew her from work. We met...became a couple...and sort of decided one day (seven months later) that we should get married before taking off on a three week motorcycle tour of Western Canada and the US. The trip had been planned anyhow--probably the first honeymoon trip that was planned before there were even thoughts about getting married.
By way of background, those were the days when motorcycle touring was a bit of a rage for those in the Midwest.I, of course, took to it as a way of experiencing the world from a different perspective--an activity that drove my co-workers and parents crazy as they could not see how a corporate lawyer could ever be seen on a motorcycle. Barb took to it because it was a way to see the world, and, I suppose, me. It was a real low profile wedding--we both had been there before with the big church weddings and just did not feel the need again. What we both had in common, I suppose, was a spirit of adventure--we were followers of William Least Heat Moon's book--"Blue Highways and I struggled with "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Pirsig.
In a way, I think the more important question is not how people meet--it is how they stay together.
We're still working at it...and hope to continue doing so for many years.
