in may of 2020, the covid-19 pandemic was still looming over everyone and everything.
regardless of what you thought about it, it had proven to be more than a two week cold and was going to take more than a few days from us.
i had just broken up with my ex and realistically was looking for someone to just talk to.
i’d been sent home half way through my senior year of college and just wanted companionship outside of my mother and sister.
then, i matched with louis on hinge.
i remember his profiles having photos of his many travels and thinking, “ahh, he’ll remember what it was like before. he’ll miss exploring the world too.”
so we talked. we texted. we got on google duo. we were on the phone for five, six, seven hours a day.
then he asked me on a date.
it was the early days of the pandemic, a time of confusion and caution, but he planned something so simple, yet so thoughtful – a picnic.
after the world around us had shut down, with so limited options, there was something so thrilling about the idea of a picnic – a hint of normalcy, a dash of adventure.
our destination was bald rock, a place i’d never been but heard was charming. we met at a grocery store, navigating social distancing rules while trying to pick out the perfect picnic snacks.
there was a nervous excitement in the air, a sense of beginning something new amidst a world that seemed to be holding its breath.
when we got to bald rock, we found it “at capacity” – a consequence of the pandemic measures.
not easily deterred, we made the best of the situation and and ventured into the nearby woods. with a hammock and a basket full of snacks, we embarked on what would be one of the most memorable days of my life.
deep in those woods, time seemed to stand still.
we strung the neon green hammock between two study trees and as we laid there, sharing stories and laughing, the rest of the world seemed to fade away. Those first conversations were filled with laughter and the ease of being – we talked about everything and nothing.
those five hours felt like a cocoon, shielding us form the uncertainty outside. in that hammock, we forged a connection that was as unexpected as it was deep.
looking back, i realize how incredibly fortunate we were to find each other in such strange and uncertain times.
that first date, unconventional as it was, laid the foundation for a relationship built on spontaneity, resilience, and a deep understanding of each other. it’s a reminder that sometimes, the best moments in life come from the unplanned and the unexpected.
as we plan our future together, I often think back to that day in the woods, grateful for the closed gates at Bald Rock and the adventure it led us to. It’s a story I’ll cherish forever—the picnic date at the start of a global pandemic that brought me to my fiancé, a tale as unique as our love.
